Greater Anglia won the prestigious award for a second time in three years

Greater Anglia staff at the awards ceremony

A rail firm running services in north-east London has won a top prize at the National Rail Awards.

Greater Anglia, which runs the West Anglia Main Line through eastern Enfield and Haringey as well as the Temple Mills branch line to Stratford via Lea Bridge, was named ‘Passenger Operator of the Year’ at the awards for the second time in three years.

Greater Anglia is owned by Transport UK, which took over from Dutch-owned Abellio two years ago, but could become one of the very first operators to be nationalised by the new Labour government later this year.

Transport Secretary Louise Haigh has said she would “waste no time” in bringing services back under public ownership as the contracts with private operators come up for renewal – which is already the case with Greater Anglia. The nationalisation will not take place before the government’s new rail bill becomes law, however, which is expected before the end of this year.

Greater Anglia has been the most punctual operator in the UK since April 2023, with annual performance at 94.3%. The company has replaced its entire fleet of trains over the last few years, offering more seats and improving reliability, and has also worked to boost accessibility.

However, Greater Anglia has also been severely criticised in Enfield and Haringey after it decided last year to end rush-hour services at Edmonton Green and Seven Sisters stations, in favour of running more services to Stansted Airport via Tottenham Hale.

At the annual awards event last Thursday night (12th), Greater Anglia also won the ‘Fleet Achievement of the Year’ award for its successful transition to a complete fleet of new trains.

Jamie Burles, managing director, said: “Everyone at Greater Anglia is very proud to have won the Passenger Operator of the Year award for the second time in three years. Right across our company, colleagues are passionate about doing their best for the customers and communities we serve. With excellent performance, a commitment to customer service, high quality new trains, and effective partnerships with other rail industry organisations and wider stakeholders, we’re fully focused on maintaining our high standards.

“We’re also grateful to key partners, such as Network Rail, the Department for Transport, Stadler, Alstom, community rail partnerships, station adopters, other rail industry organisations and regional stakeholders who all play a key role in helping us provide a high-quality service. We will continue to work to keep up our high standards and keep on improving – always focused on delivering the best train service we can for customers, communities, and wider stakeholders across our region.”

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