Awards, contracts & appointments

NR bags most prizes while Chiltern wins big at #UKRIA18

Network Rail topped the charts at this year’s UK Rail Industry Awards (UKRIA), while Chiltern Railways took home the prestigious Operator of the Year.

The infrastructure owner took home prizes for Recruitment Excellence and Track Technology, as well as winning in the Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Sustainability categories – alongside Learn Live and Balfour Beatty respectively. Network Rail’s project manager Jo Meaney also picked up an accolade in the Young Rail Professional category.

And in a first for UKRIA, which is hosted by media leader RTM, London North Western (South) signalling route asset manager Graham Wire was given the lifetime achievement award for more than 40 years of service to the rail industry.

Another big winner at the event, which took place on 22 March at London’s Battersea Evolution, was Chiltern Railways, which picked up both Operator of the Year and the Brand Reputation & Customer Advocacy awards for its stellar performance in the last 12 months.

Virgin Trains East Coast was also in on the action, with wins in the Training & Development and Design Innovation categories.

Roy Rowlands, RTM’s business development director, said: “These awards are getting bigger and better every single year and all the winners should be proud of themselves. I want to say thank you to everyone in the industry who has offered us so much support and allowed us to put on the largest iteration of the event yet.

“With nearly 1,500 people in the room and record numbers of sponsors and entries, there’s no doubt that UKRIA 2018 was the most successful edition yet… until next year, that is!”

The full list of UKRIA 2018 winners:

• UK Train Operators – Brand Reputation & Customer Advocacy
  • Chiltern Railways
• Apprenticeship Development Scheme
  • National Training Academy for Rail
• Collaborative Working
  • Wessex Capacity Alliance
• Cost Base Reduction
  • Turbo Power Systems
• Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Network Rail & Learn Live
• Design Innovation
  • Virgin Trains East Coast
• Digital Pioneer
  • ABB
• Electrification
  • Rail Electrification Alliance
• Environmental & Sustainability
  • Balfour Beatty & Network Rail
• Infrastructure Planning
  • Thameslink Programme
• Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Mr Graham Wire
• Marketing & Communications
  • Young Rail Professionals
• Mobile Technology
  • FindMyLost
• Operator of The Year
  • Chiltern Railways
• Outstanding Projects, Large (Over £20m)
  • Thameslink Programme
• Outstanding Projects, Medium (£3m - £20m)
  • Spencer Group
• Outstanding Projects, Small (Under £3m)
  • Rhodar
• Passenger Safety
  • Hammond ECS
• Product & Service Innovation (Product)
  • Train Bits & More
• Product & Service Innovation (Service)
  • Plowman Craven
• Rail Research & Innovation Implementation
  • Firstgroup
• Recruitment Excellence
  • Network Rail
• Signalling & Telecommunications
  • Linbrooke Services
• Subcontractor of The Year
  • Hammond ECS
• Track Technology
  • Network Rail
• Traction & Rolling Stock
  • Turbo Power Systems
• Training & Development
  • Virgin Trains East Coast
• Workforce Safety
  • Taziker
• Young Rail Professional – Female
  • Jo Meaney, Project Manager, Network Rail
• Young Rail Professional – Male
  • Gregory Strong, Senior Track Engineer, Transport for London

Stay tuned – more to follow once the UKRIA team are back in the Manchester office.