Northern hoping for success in UK Rail Industry Awards

The UK’s largest rail operator outside London has been recognised for its work in Marketing and Communications as well as Product and Service Innovation.

And there is an individual nomination for one of Northern’s brightest young talents in the Young Rail Professional – Male category.

Alex Hynes, Northern’s Managing Director, said: “To be nominated for three UK Rail Industry Awards is a fantastic achievement and something to be proud of.

“At Northern we strive to provide excellent customer service and these nominations – in categories which are customer focussed – highlight that commitment.

Northern has been recognised for its work in delivering a co-ordinated communications campaign during the closure of Farnworth Tunnel in Greater Manchester. The campaign ensured customers were kept fully informed about the daily and long-term impact of the significant engineering work on the Manchester to Bolton line.

There have also been plaudits for the company’s We are Northern campaign which was designed to not only highlight the breadth of Northern’s network, but also the availability of off-peak fares allowing customers to explore the north of England at reduced rates.

Customer information and communication has been key to Northern’s success in the UK Rail Industry Awards and the third nomination has been received for work carried out on innovative digital screens. Recognising that 40 per cent of stations had no customer information screens – other than timetables – Northern invested in new digital information screens. These not only provide real-time train information, but also a live link to its Twitter feed – a first for the rail industry.

The final nomination highlights the personal achievements of Sam Woolley, Assistant Production Support Manager. Sam has only been with Northern for two years, but has already made a significant impact in the organisation, setting himself apart as a proactive employee who works hard to develop and implement new processes that support the business.

Alex Hynes added: “The nominations, coming within the first year of the new franchise, show we are moving in the right direction in terms of providing the customer focussed rail service our passengers want and need.

“We are embarking on an ambitious programme to modernise our network, bringing in new, purpose built, carriages and refurbished trains, as well as improved stations.

“But we know there is more work to do and will continue to listen to, and act upon feedback from, our customers as we work to deliver a rail network fit for the 21^st century.”

The UK Rail Industry Awards, organised by Rail Technology Magazine, take place on Thursday 9 February 2017.