Northern celebrates as staff and stations are recognised with national awards

The event, organised by RAIL magazine, is one of the industry’s premier awards ceremonies, with each category always hotly contested.

Grange-over-Sands station in Cumbria was named Best Small Station of the Year while Ribblehead station in North Yorkshire was Highly Commended in the same category.

The awards recognise the important part Northern’s stations play in the local community and the work carried out by Northern to make the station as inviting as possible for customers.

Chris Jackson, West & Central Regional Director at Northern, said: “We are thrilled that Grange-over-Sands has won this fantastic award and that Ribblehead has been recognised.

“Our staff work hard to keep the stations looking its best and to provide the best possible service to our customers.

“Our stations are more than somewhere to catch a train, they are a vital part of the local community and we are proud to be able to be part of that community.”

Northern is also celebrating success for Kirsty Hargreaves, who was Highly Commended in the Outstanding Personal Contribution category.

Kirsty, who works as a retail supervisor at Guiseley station was praised for always going the extra mile for customers and colleagues.

Customers have even come to the station and ask when Kirsty will be working - because they know they will get fantastic service for their advance travel plans.

Her brilliant customer service particularly shone during the difficult times of the pandemic when she helped an emotional customer with a ticket refund, as the woman unfortunately had COVID-19 and could no longer travel.

The customer was so grateful that she contacted Northern to pass on a thank you message, saying how wonderful and caring Kirsty was to her and had made her feel so much better.

Tony Baxter, East Regional Director at Northern, said: “Kirsty is a wonderful ambassador for Northern both for our customers and everyone she works with.

“She trains new members of staff and is the one individual they always turn to for advice if they need it.

“She is constantly delivering customer service and assistance to her colleagues that goes above her job description and we are so proud to have her at Northern.”