The pioneering open access operator, Hull Trains has secured the coveted ‘Great Place to Work’ title at this year’s National Rail Awards held in London.
The ceremony celebrates achievements and excellence across every aspect of the railway, from senior management to individuals on the front line, as well as safety triumphs, major engineering successes, and environmental sustainability.
Hull Trains securing the ‘Great Place to Work’ award recognises that the company has a clear vision, with effective and approachable leadership that strongly and passionately supports the development of its whole workforce, and a great team ethos amongst colleagues. This leads to a service that is dependable for customers, with the latest Office of Rail and Road figures* showing 98.9% reliability and service cancellations reduced year on year.
The much-loved operator beat tough competition thanks to a core belief that every member of their team should feel empowered, supported and motivated to do the best possible job. It’s an approach that clearly works, with an incredible 20 long service awards for more than 20 years of service to the company handed out at its most recent Excellence Awards in this, the company’s 24th year.
The victory highlighted the operator’s industry-leading approach to diversity, with 27% of its train drivers female, well above the industry average of 6.5%. This is in addition to a commitment to developing the next generation of talent, with Hull Trains recently launching a state-of-the-art train driving simulator as part of its new Learning and Development Academy.
Martijn Gilbert, Hull Trains Managing Director, who attended the event alongside representatives from across the company said: “There’s a real sense of pride for Hull Trains in securing the coveted ‘Great Place to Work’ title at the National Rail Awards. Over our 24-year history, we’ve worked hard to build a workplace culture that promotes diversity and long-term career development, giving colleagues the platform to do their job to the best of their abilities and, most importantly of all, build a great team who deliver brilliant service to our customers.
“To win this outstanding award you must be able to demonstrate achievements across a number of areas relevant to the industry and the fact that we have successfully delivered across all aspects shows the dedication of our fantastic team. We won’t be stopping there we have exciting plans for the future and will use this award as a springboard for further success.”
Dominic Russell, Onboard Manager Instructor and Trainee Driver, said: “I think this award represents the effort and passion that each one of us at Hull Trains demonstrate every day, it’s fantastic that we’ve been recognised by the industry!
“For me, being at Hull Trains means the opportunity to work with the kindest people. Developing ourselves and each other, and consistently taking us to even greater heights. This definitely shines through to our customers too!”
As part of the operator’s commitment to the environment and local communities, Hull Trains is holding a beach clean in Bridlington, with charity partner the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust on Wednesday 18 September.