Train Operator of the Year 2012

[306024]

From the Greater Anglia Website.....

Has caused a bit of excitement in this neck of the woods !

http://www.greateranglia.co.uk/abou...eater-anglia-named-train-operator-of-the-year

Abellio train operator Greater Anglia has won the Train Operator of the Year award at the annual national Rail Business Awards for 2012. This independent recognition for the regional train operator comes only just over a year into its franchise, which began in February 2012. It provides a major external endorsement of the improvements made to date by the company in many aspects of its operations.

This includes better punctuality, higher customer service standards, greater customer engagement, improved ticketing, station upgrades, integrated transport improvements and reduced weekend service disruption for passengers (as a result of a new agreement with Network Rail as part of the alliance between the two companies). Greater Anglia was also complimented for its excellent service during the London Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Praising Greater Anglia for its winning entry, the judges said: “Performance during the first year of operation has been very impressive. This came across very clearly in its excellent submission."

The accolade follows an increase in customer satisfaction amongst Greater Anglia’s passengers in the most recent National Passenger Survey to 83% and improved annual punctuality to over 92%, the highest level for the East Anglian franchise in at least 12 years. The company has also made ticket purchase much easier with more ticket vending machines, a smartphone app, trials of mobile ticketing and "print-at-home" ticketing. In addition, Greater Anglia is also playing a leading role in the development and delivery of the East Anglian Rail Prospectus, working proactively with regional stakeholders to make the case for greater investment in rail services in the region.

Commenting on the recognition of Greater Anglia's progress Ruud Haket, Managing Director said: "I am delighted that barely a year into our short franchise, we have received this independent endorsement of our achievements. To be bracketed amongst the leading UK train companies at such an early stage is a tribute to the commitment and dedication of our employees.

“We know we have much more to do to achieve the consistency of service that our customers rightly expect, but we have made significant steps forward in punctuality, information provision and ticket purchasing facilities already and we are passionate about delivering high standards of customer service day in, day out, for passengers across our network.

“We are committed to making further service improvements over the remainder of our short franchise to July 2014 and to continue to work with regional stakeholders to help secure the long term investment needed to further upgrade train services in East Anglia - focusing on the priorities highlighted in the East Anglian Rail Prospectus. Our focus will always be on continuously improving rail services for the customers and communities we serve."

 

[SS4]

"“We are committed to making further service improvements over the remainder of our short franchise to July 2014 "

The cynic in me feels GA are going above and beyond to leave a good impression so they get the franchise in 2014 and then to forget about it

 

[F Great Eastern]

I wouldn't say Greater Anglia is the best operator in the country, they are not.

However compared to National Express who they took over from, they are great. There's a lot of things which really need to be dealt with in this neck of the woods, but at least GA have started doing the basics and making inroads into many years of neglect.

There's still a long way to go though but they are for sure a big improvement over what was there before, even if they are far from perfect.

 

[Be3G]

I can't really say that I've witnessed any improvements at all so far. That's not to say that GA haven't made any, because I think they probably have, but they seem to mostly be of benefit to stations and services outside London. In my part of Enfield (north London) we're still stuck with the same mediocre service that packs up at midnight, limited ticket office opening hours with just one machine that's often out of use, uninviting stations, full-and-standing Sunday trains even though the service is so much lower than weekday peak that they must have a few carriages spare…

I sense that Greater Anglia do mean well – but I remain to see anything of much benefit to travellers within London. Incidentally I did apply to join their customer panel in the hope of trying to drive forward some improvements for 'round here, but I wasn't accepted.

 

[F Great Eastern]

Generally what I've noticed is
- The provision of extra ticket machines
- Better cleaning of trains
- Better cleaning of stations
- Better maintenance of stations
- Better internal maintenance on trains
- Provision of free refreshments in first class on mainline.
- Introduction of Duo Special offer tickets

None of that is anything ground-breaking however, but we didn't get any of that in the franchise we had before them where train presentation was for the most part terrible, many stations had nowhere near enough ticket machines and first class offerings were pretty much nothing.

I'm someone who is more in the Norfolk/Suffolk/Essex area so I wouldn't know too much about West Anglia and if they've improved there, other than the Stansted Express Duo tickets that I mentioned, but then again it was hard to be worse than it was under National Express.

Staff seem happier too.

 

[VTPreston_Tez]

Greater Anglia have made such fantastic improvements and if they continue like this, they could actually rival the very top companies not just in the UK or Europe, but possibly in the world if they up the tempo more.
Take this with a pinch of salt.

 

[WCMLaddict]

As the name of award states it is given for achievements over year 2012 but please remember it is given by the industry and from the business point of view.
Just look at latest Passenger Focus survey results, they are clearly on the up but unfortunately still behind almost everyone else. Add to this London 2012 and the service the delivered for the whole event and I think you can see why they got the award.

It was definitely the biggest shock of the awards but they got really big ovation. Their MD clearly didn't expect that recognition.

 

[jon0844]

The point is GA can only do so much on such a limited term franchise, and if they can get a few essential things right and get staff morale up, as well as seeing what needs to be done then I feel they could indeed do a very good job with a longer franchise.

I am sure some other companies could have done a lot worse.

 

[WCMLaddict]

Forgot to add that Go-Ahead Group companies and Translink NI Railways were the biggest winners as they won almost every other TOC related category.

Go-Ahead winners
http://www.go-ahead.com/media/news/2013news/2013-02-28.aspx

 

[iphone76]

Wasn't FGE "train operator of the year" when they failed to secure the first Greater Anglia franchise? Will be interesting to see if history repeats itself.

I think they really are trying, however, I look at this franchise more as a reversing all the bad stuff NX did.

 

[sheff1]

In my part of Enfield (north London) we're still stuck with the same mediocre service that packs up at midnight,

Many people would love to have a service which continued to anywhere near midnight

 

[Dan27]

I really hope that their East Anglian Rail Prospectus is implemented. Need some better infrastructure in this part of the country.