UK: No fewer than 48 organisations have been shortlisted for the 24th Rail Business Awards, recognising the achievements of the UK rail sector over the past 12 months, despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Finalists for 16 of the 19 categories were announced on November 25. The Richard Hope Award for Outstanding Personal Contribution, Industry Leader and Rail Business of the Year will be revealed during the gala awards dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London’s west end on Wednesday February 23 2022.
‘It was very encouraging to see such a wide field of entries, reflecting the many important initiatives being pursued at a difficult time for the rail sector’, said Railway Gazette Group Editor in Chief Chris Jackson. ‘Our independent judging panel has been working hard to identify the best of the best, with strong competition in many categories. I was particularly pleased to see the strong field of entries for our Young Professional award, and to hear about so many inspiring young people already making their mark across the industry.’
The new Wellbeing in Rail Award, introduced in conjunction with the Rail Wellbeing Alliance, attracted a very encouraging number of entries. Six strong submissions have made to through to the shortlist, from Arriva Rail London, Atkins, Motion Rail, Network Rail, Siemens Mobility, and SWGR.
Given a strong list of entries for Infrastructure Project Excellence, covering a very wide range of schemes, the judges have decided to split the category this year, and present a separate award for Station Excellence.
Network Rail leads the pack overall, with its various regions and project teams represented in 10 shortlisted entries this year. This was followed by Atkins with six and Great Western Railway, Northern and Nexus with three each. Other train operators showing strongly include Greater Anglia, ScotRail, and TransPennine Express, as well as Northern Ireland’s Translink.
Full details of the shortlist can be found at www.railbusinessawards.com
