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Operators who have gone the extra mile in striving for excellence have been rewarded with prizes at the 2021 Golden Whistle awards, announced today.
This morning Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines spoke at a webinar organised by the Institution of Railway Operators and Modern Railways, providing an update on the organisation’s 21st Century Operators initiative. Golden Whistles MC Dick Fearn then announced the winners in the Outstanding Operations category at the awards. The virtual event replaces the traditional in-person event, usually held in January but cancelled this year due to the pandemic.
Unlike the awards we have already announced this week, which are based on statistics, the awards for Outstanding Operations are submitted by companies across the industry and judged by a panel from the IRO. We are grateful for all the work and support provided by the IRO to enable the Golden Whistles to happen, and for the ongoing support of our sponsors Tracsis and Porterbrook.
From an excellent shortlist of entries, the IRO decided to award prizes for an Outstanding Individual Operator and Outstanding Operating Team, with Gold for best in class and Silver for the runner-up, plus a Special Award. The winners are:
Outstanding Individual Operator (Gold): Elliott Waters (Southeastern) & Nina McGovern (GTR);
Outstanding Individual Operator (Silver): Katherine Burnett (Avanti West Coast);
Outstanding Operating Team (Gold): Train Planning, Resources & Train Crew Diagramming Teams (Avanti West Coast);
Outstanding Operating Team (Silver): Solent Severn Team (GWR & Network Rail);
Special Award: Mid-Hants Railway.
A full write-up of the Golden Whistles will feature in the July and August issues of Modern Railways magazine, with the July issue covering the statistical awards and the August issue the Outstanding Operator awards.
