Great Western Railway win top rail accolades

Shortlisted in three categories, GWR won the top awards in Marketing and Communications Excellence for its That’s EnterTrainment campaign, and in Rolling Stock Excellence for Repurposing HSTs into Castles. Great Western Railway’s Bex Hartley was also shortlisted in the Young Professional of the Year category. 

In a year where marketing and communication budgets were largely curtailed, GWR’s That’s EnterTrainment fought off competition from LNER and ScotRail, impressing judges with a project designed to restore confidence among customers during the pandemic. The campaign reached the equivalent of more than 250 million people over six months. 

GWR Head of Communications Dan Panes said:  

“It was a truly fun experience that has to be top of the list for anything in the last 12 months. I’m really proud of the team and what they have achieved.” 

Recognising the innovative way to address a capacity shortage and benefit customers GWR won over Rail Operations UK LTD entry in the Rolling Stock Excellence category for repurposing former High Speed Trains to Castle Class. The trains were brought up to modern standards including automatic sliding doors.    

GWR’s Matthew Golton said: 

“These trains have transformed services in the South West. They are loved by colleagues, and stakeholders and customers really appreciate them too. 

“Once this pandemic is out of the way they are going to be really key to delivering growth on our railway again.” 

The work to the Castle Class sets was carried out by Doncaster based Wabtec. 

Wabtec UK & Ireland Group Managing Director Andy Derbyshire said: 

“The is a fantastic project to be involved in. The industry often talks about collaboration and joint working as key to successful project delivery and this is one of the best I have experienced.

“From precontract through to delivery both the Wabtec and Great Western Railway teams, at all levels of the business, have lived and breathed the core team ethic and have delivered a fantastic upgrade which will delight the travelling public .” 

GWR is presently operating a reduced timetable during the latest national lockdown and customers should follow Government guidelines, only travelling for work if essential or for other legally permitted reasons. Find out more at gwr.com/safety. 

The Rail Business Awards are open to any company of any size that conducts business within the UK rail industry, the RBA recognises and celebrates the best of those businesses. 

Notes to editors 

Great Western Railway (GWR) provides high speed, commuter, regional and branch line train services. We help over 100 million passengers reach their destinations every year - across South Wales, the West Country, the Cotswolds, and large parts of Southern England. 

We’re currently seeing the biggest investment in the network since Brunel so we can offer more trains, more seats, and shorter, more frequent journeys and continue the network’s heritage of helping connect more businesses to new and prosperous markets. Through a series of initiatives we aim to be a good neighbour to the communities we serve and are committed to making a positive social impact in those regions. Learn how we're Building a Greater West at GWR.com. GWR is a FirstGroup company.