National Rail Awards 2024: Passenger Operator Of The Year

What makes an excellent train operating company (TOC) in 2024. It’s more than just the service it provides. It’s more than the trains it runs. Whilst of course, these two things are fundamental to running a service, an excellent train operating company in 2024 is a forward-thinking and customer-focused company that places the community it serves at the heart of what it does. It places importance in the little things as much as it does the big things.

Delivering this is a challenge for all operators, year in, year out. However, one TOC has been doing this consistently and better than most. Greater Anglia has been doing that as well as improving on many of the areas where operators are measured. Its success is testament to planning and focus in a sometimes-challenging environment. Alongside this, it should not be forgotten its obvious commitment to continual improvement.

And it was this performance and commitment which turned the heads of our judges this year.

In 2024, on paper, it was the best performing train operator in the UK. In fact, Greater Anglia has been the country’s best performing passenger TOC for five consecutive quarters. The company which is now part of Transport UK Group after the former bought out Abellio in 2023, has some impressive statistics to back this up. Its annual average punctuality was 94.4% for Public Performance Metric (PPM) – A metric that measures overall punctuality of services. It was on time just over 86% of the time in 2024 – An even more impressive statistic given the backdrop of extreme weather and industrial action across the country last year.

It's no less than what the operator deserves, believes its managing director, Jamie Burles, who 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.”

All of that was all delivered on a network which can be at times, complicated. Greater Anglia operates services on the West Anglia main line, running from London Liverpool Street (itself, the busiest station in the UK) up to Cambridge as well as the Great Eastern main line, that starts in Norwich, runs through both Suffolk and Essex with the line then ending again at Liverpool Lime Street. These lines are intensely used and in some sections 2-track, adding extra complications to a packed timetable. As well as those lines, it also operates its popular Stansted Express service along the Great Eastern main line and multiple regional lines including the Breckland, Felixstowe and Southend branch lines.

But again here, Greater Anglia excelled. NRA judges praised Greater Anglia for its performance, in sometimes difficult circumstances. “Performance is exceptionally good, however, and even improving, especially given the complexity and challenges of the operation.

“Operational performance improved during the year despite the ramping up of the Stansted Express service to 4tph all day. It has ended the year on top of the league table for On Time, Time-3 and PPM. A real achievement.”, Judges noted.

Drilling down into the statistics a little more, it recorded an excellent PPM average of 96.5% on the Great Eastern line as well as an 82.5% on West Anglia. Its regional lines also performed very well with a 94.6% PPM average. None of these figures are luck, nor can they be put down to a one-off. These figures show that they are an operator at the top of its game,

Away from its high performance, the operator cemented its commitment to continual improvement as it looked at ways to future-proof its network. This is often an uphill struggle for operators. However, Greater Anglia has carved out a path that has undoubtedly put them on the right track.

NEW TRAINS

This can be seen with its fleet upgrade. Over the last five years, the operator has rolled-out a well-documented new fleet programme. It has gradually introduced its highly successful Alstom-built Class 720s as well as its Stadler-built 745s and last year, the transformation was completed with all services in East Anglia operated by its new trains.

It isn’t a stretch to call them game changing for the operator. Firstly, the 720s are bi-mode and the 745s, electric. There reliability has been noticeably better than the previous fleet and given that passenger demand continues to grow; these trains offer many more seats than the ones they’ve replaced.

The NRA judges noted that the feedback had reinforced Greater Anglia’s belief that the fleet needed an overhaul.

“Customer and stakeholder feedback continues to be excellent and reinforces the benefits of the extensive customer and stakeholder consultation undertaken, which resulted in further real enhancements to the train design and features”, said the Judges.

The new trains sound great but like any operator, its how they improve a passenger’s journey which matters most. In this area, there is a strong argument to say that they’ve been a huge success. Greater Anglia can see this through its “We’re all Ears” customer feedback campaign – an all-encompassing survey for passengers on nearly all the aspects of each one’s journey which showed that its ambience and information availability scored over 90%. This is alongside other metrics that consistently show that GA are getting it right.

A mark on the success of a new fleet is how it has improved on what it has replaced. In the case of Greater Anglia’s 745s, this can be seen with its approach to accessibility.

ACCESSIBILITY

The company engaged extensively with accessibility groups on the design of its new 745s during the consultation phases in 2017/8. One of the outcomes from this consultation phase was the introduction of low floors and retractable steps to enable level-boarding where possible on the stations that the operators serve. Given the continuing need for level-boarding across the country’s rail network, Greater Anglia’s approach and focus on ensuring it happened is an example of how it can be achieved. Alongside the low-floors, other “hidden” benefits that many travellers do not see have been installed. These include the orientation of accessibility spaces, privacy screens, colour contrasts on handrails and “call for aid” buttons in toilets which have been very warmly received. All these improvements were the product of consultation with a group of experts who had a lived experience on a range of accessibility issues seen across the network including Greater Anglia routes.

Away from the tracks and trains, and Greater Anglia have applied the same approach to its stations. It has rolled out Passenger Assist programmes as well as creating online virtual tours for 16 of its stations (including London Liverpool Street) which helps reduce anxiety for some travellers and helps disabled customers to check on the accessibility of stations ahead of travelling. In fact, 16,490 customers pre-booked station assistance whilst another 20,128 passengers received assistance on a “turn-up-and-go” basis during a six-month period in 2023.

All these initiatives and improvements have been informed from its work with its Accessibility Panel, ensuring that it is continually making improvements in these areas and getting the little things right.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

Good service doesn’t necessarily start when a passenger boards a train, however. It starts when they stand at the station. Here, Greater Anglia has continued to innovate and push forward. Working with Network Rail, upgrades to stations have been completed right across its network. Harlow Mill railway station in Essex has seen an overhaul, lifts and platforms improved (again with accessibility in mind) at both Colchester, Chelmsford and Billericay stations, customer information points installed right across the network as well improvements at Norwich enhancing each passenger’s experience.

Greater Anglia has not done this in isolation, however. It has worked very effectively and proactively with local authorities, Network Rail and community rail partnerships to ensure these upgrades and improvements could happen.

It's obvious that Greater Anglia takes its responsibilities to its passengers very seriously. Judges were impressed with its furthering commitment to integrated transport and the impact that its Integrated Travel Forum is having for all public transport users. The forum has brought together local authorities, bus operators and other relevant bodies to ensure that Stansted Express is the most popular way to reach the airport, which is no small feat, given the competition that it has. By doing so however, it is enhancing not just Greater Anglia’s passenger offering, but also connecting the dots of the regions public transport - an issue which many regions struggle with.

Passengers remain the focus when it comes to ticketing as well with more e-tickets available. This has meant 67% of all journeys on GA are now made using Smart tickets (smartcard, contactless or e-ticket). All except the 11 quietest stations have ticket vending machines (TVMs), which also have a special “help point” facility connecting them with GA staff in its Norwich contact centre.

Of course, not everybody wants to buy a smart ticket, but Greater Anglia has maintained a continued presence at its ticket offices. Across most of 2023 and 2024, ticket offices were open for their scheduled hours, just under 95% of the time and one of the highest measured. Again, given the industrial action that has occurred over the last year, this is impressive.

Greater Anglia’s commitment to continual improvement extends to how it interacts with the community it serves as well as keeping them safe. For example, this year saw the return of Rail Pastors to the network. The pastors patrol throughout the day and into the evening and visit stations and boarding trains aiming to help anyone who is vulnerable, distressed, or in need of some assistance. Medical centres at key stations were also implemented, again helping ill or distressed customers and keeping the service running for the other passengers. Proactivity was praised in this area by judges who remarked, “staff engagement is good, and a number of initiatives came to fruition during the year with many of them oversee, been self-initiated, as opposed to being instructed by the franchisor.”

SUSTAINABILITY

Greater Anglia has spent a lot of time looking at the little things which it says because it understands the importance of them. That belief can be seen in its engagement with the local communities it serves, with judges remarking that the efforts the operators have made to work with Community Rail Partnerships (CRP) was inspiring.

This year, Greater Anglia has worked with its CRP’s in continuing with its projects to promote rail, as well as improve stations, and crucially, increase community engagement (for both existing and new residents). Greater Anglia says its station adoption programme has hit a record high with 126 of its 134 stations adopted by over 330 adopters. The adopters play a big role in keeping Greater Anglia’s stations attractive places, brightening up the surroundings and instilling civic pride.

Its work however underpins another very important part of what makes a great train operator in 2024. It’s efforts with sustainability and biodiversity. The Greater Anglia network now boasts 66 rail station gardens which have a focus on improving biodiversity and sustainability. It also rolled out a pioneering Wildlife Friendly Stations accreditation scheme. This scheme is designed to improve habitats for local native wildlife and works in conjunction with local Wildlife Trusts and the rollout saw four stations – Brundall Gardens, Cantley, Thetford and West Runton trial the scheme. Its success has meant Greater Anglia have rolled it out to a further 12 stations over the last year.

As well as pushing forward with its sustainability plans, the operator has also led the charge to net-zero. It has managed to cut its emissions in one year by up to 17%, ensuring it managed to cut its carbon footprint for a third year in a row.

And so, it all builds up to an example of what makes an excellent TOC in 2024. The small things that Greater Anglia are getting right, feeds into its wider performance, which is industry leading. The judges could see that Greater Anglia’s investment in its network, its people and its community has set the bar for excellence very high indeed.

The judges concluded: “This was a strong showing by an operator at the top of its game.

“For another year of excellent performance (including punctuality still at historically high levels despite more extreme weather and industrial action), with all services now operated by new trains and impressive results in all other aspects of delivery (customer service, stations, safety, ticketing, marketing, accessibility, community and stakeholder engagement; integrated transport and environmental performance), we believe Greater Anglia merits receiving the Passenger Operator of the Year award.”