Three of First Group’s railway companies won awards at this year’s National Rail Awards was held last Thursday, 14 September, and were highly commended in several other categories

South Western Railway (SWR), Great Western Railway (GWR), and Avanti West Coast each won awards, with South Western Railway winning in two categories.

Staines in Surrey won South Western Railway the award for ‘Medium Station of the Year’. The station used to be managed by Teresa Pearson, who was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) last June for her services at last September’s State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The second winner for South Western Railway was the Hampshire Community Rail Partnership (CRP), which the company had nominated for the ‘Outstanding Contribution to Society’ Award. Hampshire Community Rail Partnership (CRP) incorporates four CRPs covering 50 stations, with 28 of them on the company’s network. Since it was established, the original two part-time rail officers have increased to three part-time directors and around 100 volunteers. Their successes include transforming ten redundant station buildings into spaces for the local community.

Claire Mann, South Western Railway’s Managing Director, said; “The award for Staines is a testament to the hard work that our station colleagues put in every day to give our customers the best journeys possible. We are delighted too for Hampshire Community Rail Partnership, who thoroughly deserve their award following the years of dedication to the many local communities they work with, and the fantastic work they have done to give old station buildings a new lease of life and inspire more people to travel on our network.”

Great Western Railway won the ‘Small Station of the Year’ award for Okehampton Station, following the successful reopening of the Dartmoor Line in November 2021. The award was collected by colleagues who were instrumental in reopening the line between Exeter and Okehampton. The company was also commended in the ‘Outstanding Teamwork’ category for their work with West Midlands Grand Railway Collaboration – Commonwealth Games Rail Travel.

Mel Harvey, GWR station manager, said: “Winning this award is testament to our amazing team who look after Okehampton, ensuring it looks just as good today as it did the day it reopened two years ago. In that time, it has become a focal point for our community, a transport hub with buses connecting to our services, and of course a thriving railway station linking Okehampton and West Devon with Exeter and beyond.”

Avanti West Coast won the ‘Fleet Achievement of the Year’ Award for its £117m Pendolino refurbishment programme, which is the largest in the UK. It is planned for completion next summer, and all 11-carriage Pendolinos have already been completed. In the ‘Large Station of the Year’ category, Avanti’s Birmingham International Station was highly commended.

Philippa Cresswell, Executive Director On Board at Avanti West Coast said: “The refurbished Pendolinos are proving a big hit with our customers. We will continue to work with our partners Alstom and Angel Trains to complete the transformation of one the UK’s most iconic trains as we look forward to welcoming more people back to rail.”