RailStaff Awards 2024: a fairytale of New York
The great and good of the British Rail Industry descended on Birmingham’s NEC last night (Thursday 28 November), to celebrate the 2024 RailStaff Awards.
More than 1,000 guests gathered to honour the exceptional efforts of the employees who go the extra mile and excel in their roles. From rail managers to customer service assistants, apprentices to training managers, the full breadth and depth of job roles was represented, and all were celebrated as equals with one aim – to keep the nation moving, safely and to schedule.
The RailStaff Awards are always a spectacular event, and this year was no different with attendees breathing in the glitz and glamour of New York City. Arriving at the venue, guests left their coats at the Broadway Ticket Office and made their way towards the best that Manhattan has to offer. With beautiful bars serving a range of exquisite cocktails and entertainers offering impromptu performances, they bathed in the exciting atmosphere of Christmas time in the Big Apple.
TV star and all-round top-class entertainer Brian Conley hosted this year’s event, putting guests at ease with his easy charm and lightening quick wit. Boasting a decades-long career as an actor, comedian, singer, and TV presenter, Brian has starred in many award-winning television shows and played the lead role in multiple West End musicals. He was the perfect choice to guide everyone through the night’s proceedings.
With every category winner named and given the chance to bask in their well-deserved applause, the night truly began, with fairground rides whirring into life and the dance floor opening for those with the energy to dance the night way. A midnight breakfast provided the energy to push on to the early hours, when guests made their way into the night to continue their celebrations or back their hotel rooms for some much-needed beauty sleep. Yet again, the event had been a huge success.
Adam O’Connor, managing director of Rail Media, said: “The RailStaff Awards is a truly unique event, celebrating the individuals in our industry who consistently go above and beyond. It is inspiring and humbling to host this event and witness the profound impact it has on our remarkable workforce. All winners and highly commended individuals deserve immense recognition, as do all the finalists and nominees.
I must say a heartfelt thank you to all our sponsors and supporters, whose contributions make this incredible event possible. Special thanks also go to our panel of judges and the entire team at Rail Media for their outstanding efforts in bringing this memorable occasion to life.”
Event organiser Gemma King added: “Another memorable RailStaff Awards has come to a close and we hope that everyone enjoyed a thrilling evening. Congratulations once again to all of tonight’s winners – you’ve all earned your place in RailStaff Awards history!”
Thank you
The RailStaff Awards relies on the support of some very special groups. We would like to express our gratitude to all those who recognised their colleagues’ contributions and took the time to nominate. A huge thank you also to our judges, everyone who voted, and all those who attended the ceremony.
We also thank our generous sponsors for making the night possible: Bodyguard Workwear Ltd, BTTC, c2c (Trenitalia c2c Ltd), Carlisle Support Services, City & Guilds Training, Freightliner Group Ltd, GeoAccess, Govia Thameslink Railway, Heathrow Express, Land Recovery Rail Limited, Land Sheriffs, Morson Training, McGinley Support Services, Rail Engineer, Readypower Group, RailwayPeople.com, ResponSec Ltd, Telent, Train’d Up Railway Resourcing Ltd, and Transport Benevolent Fund CIO.
Congratulations
The winners of the 2024 RailStaff Awards are:
Apprentice of the Year
Winner: Joe Dodman, Motion
Highly Commended: George Creed, Alstom and Caitlin Mayhew, Transport for Wales
Award for Charity
Winner: Kev Adlam, Mark Bridel, Jerry Dickinson and Martin House Charter Team, Network Rail and GB Railfreight
Highly Commended: Heather Waugh, Freightliner and The Alex Wardle Foundation Team, South Western Railway
Customer Service Person or Team Award
Winner: Shabana Haroon, Trenitalia c2c
Highly Commended: Paul Chappell, Alex Kerr, Chirag Patel, and Nick Jones, Network Rail High Speed and Lauren Gillman, South Western Railway
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Person or Team Award
Winner: Carys Thomas, Great Western Railway
Highly Commended: Package for a Friend Team, LNER and Sophia Bourika and Alexandre Fleming, ED&I Reporting project team, Arriva
Graduate of the Year Award
Winner: Rumbi Chiparamandu, AtkinsRéalis
Highly Commended: Harry Bateman, Alstom and Helen Marriner, WSP
Health & Wellbeing Person or Team Award
Winner: Bianca Molloy, TES 2000 Ltd
Highly Commended: John Sidebotham, Network Rail and Paula Waight, South Western Railway
HR, Recruitment & Talent Acquisition Person or Team Award
Winner: Volume Resourcing Team, Group HR, Network Rail
Highly Commended: People and Culture Team, TES 2000 and Raj Kooner, Network Rail
Innovation & Technology Person or Team Award
Winner: Raymond Sturton, Hitachi Rail
Highly Commended: FELIX Project Team, Network Rail and Loccioni and Eddie Bell and Mike Sharp, Siemens Mobility
Learning, Development & Investing in People Award
Winner: HMP Highpoint Rehabilitation Team, City & Guilds
Highly Commended: Will Evans, TES 2000 Ltd and Toby Kemp, GTR
Lifesaver Award
Winner: Liam King, Northern
Highly Commended: Shaun Charnock, South Western Railway and Rohith Madda, Winston Johnson, and Adam Bashir, ResponSec Ltd
Lifetime Achievement Award
Winner: Matt Clark, BTTC
Highly Commended: Tony Evans, TES 2000 Ltd and Joe Healy, GTR
Rail Ambassador of the Year
Winner: Heather Waugh, Freightliner
Highly Commended: Callum Marius, GTR and Satty Potiwal, South Western Railway
Rail Engineer of the Year
Winner: Alina Lixandru, AtkinsRéalis
Highly Commended: Richard Stainton, Network Rail and Aidan Courts, AtkinsRéalis
Rail Manager of the Year
Winner: Alana Davoren, Alstom
Highly Commended: Mohammad Munir Khan, AECOM and Kevin Cunnick, Hull Trains
Rail Person of the Year
Winner: Marianna Busuttil, GTR Southern
Highly Commended: Heather Waugh, Freightliner and Kathleen Martin, Great Northern
Rail Team of the Year
Winner: Freight Loads Books Digitisation Project team, Network Rail and Lampada Digital Solutions
Highly Commended: East Coast Thunderbird Mobile Operations Manager Team – Network Rail and Sam Green and Edmund James, Cowden 30-year Remembrance, Southern
Rolling Stock, Freight & Depot Person or Team Award
Winner: Jack Eagling, GB Railfreight
Highly Commended: Adam Kaczynski, Network Rail and Engineering Technical Teams, Greater Anglia
Safety Person or Team Award
Winner: Safety, Security, and Enforcement Officers (SSEO), ResponSec Ltd / Arriva Rail London
Highly Commended: Eddie Bell and Mike Sharp, Siemens Mobility and Samantha Boucher, Freightliner
Station Staff Person or Team Award
Winner: Blackpool Gateline Operators, Northern
Highly Commended: Alex Lucas, Greater Anglia and Chris Whetren, South Western Railway
Sustainability & Corporate Responsibility Person or Team Award
Winner: Heathrow POD, Heathrow Airport
Highly Commended: Sicut Enterprises Ltd, Sicut Enterprises Ltd and Green Travel Pledge Team, Rail Delivery Group
Back next year
We have exciting sponsorship opportunities available for the 2025 awards.
If you’re interested in discussing this further or would like to put forward nominations from your team for future awards, please feel free to contact us by email at [email protected] or call us on 01530 816 440.
You can also find out more and vie
