Train Operator of the Year is a rail transport industry award to recognise excellence among train operating companies of the United Kingdom. The award has been presented as part of the Rail Business Awards since 1997. [1]
A similarly named award is also presented by the Rail Delivery Group as part of that organisation's National Cycle-Rail Awards to recognise work in encouraging the use of bicycles and trains as a commuting solution. [2]
Past recipients of this award include:
National Express Group is a British multinational public transport company headquartered in Birmingham, England. It operates bus, coach, train and tram services in the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Canada, Spain, Portugal, Malta, Germany, Bahrain, and Morocco and long-distance coach services across Europe. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
Chiltern Railways is a British train operating company owned by Arriva UK Trains that has operated the Chiltern Railways franchise since July 1996. It operates commuter/regional rail passenger services from its central London terminus at London Marylebone along the M40 corridor to destinations in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Warwickshire, as well as long-distance services to the West Midlands along two routes. Services on the Chiltern Main Line run from London to Birmingham Snow Hill, Stratford-upon-Avon and Oxford, with some peak-hour services extended to Kidderminster.
The Stansted Express is a direct train service linking London Liverpool Street to London Stansted Airport. It is a sub-brand of Greater Anglia, the current franchise operator of the East Anglia franchise.
FirstGroup plc is a British multi-national transport group, based in Aberdeen, Scotland. The company operates transport services in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada and the United States. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
A train operating company (TOC) is a business operating passenger trains on the railway system of Great Britain under the collective National Rail brand. TOCs have existed since the privatisation of the network under the Railways Act 1993.
The British Rail Class 170Turbostar is a British diesel multiple-unit (DMU) passenger train built by Bombardier Transportation at its Derby Litchurch Lane Works. Introduced after privatisation, these trains have operated regional as well as long-distance services, and to a lesser extent suburban services. 139 units were built, but some were later converted to Class 168 and Class 171 units.
The British Rail Class 321 alternating current (AC) electric multiple units (EMU) were built by British Rail Engineering Limited's York Works in three batches between 1988 and 1991. The design was successful and led to the development of the similar Class 320 and Class 322.
Govia is a transport company based in the United Kingdom. It was formed in November 1996 as a joint venture between Go-Ahead Group (65%) and Keolis (35%) to bid for rail franchises during the privatisation of British Rail.
The use of Oyster pay as you go (PAYG) payment has now been implemented across National Rail services in the London Travelcard area, some additional stations served by c2c, Govia Thameslink Railway, Greater Anglia, TfL Rail and London Overground, Southeastern highspeed services within London, as well as Gatwick Express and Heathrow Express.
Arriva UK Trains Limited is the company that oversees Arriva's train operating companies in the United Kingdom. It gained its first franchises in February 2000. These were later lost, though several others were gained. In January 2010, with the take-over of Arriva by Deutsche Bahn, Arriva UK Trains also took over the running of those formerly overseen by DB Regio UK Limited.
Passenger rail franchising in Great Britain is the system of contracting the operation of the passenger services on the railways of Great Britain to private companies, which has been in effect since 1996 and was greatly altered in 2020.
London Overground Rail Operations Limited was a train operating company contracted to operate the London Overground train service on the National Rail network, under the franchise control of Transport for London. The company was a 50/50 joint venture between Arriva UK Trains and MTR Corporation.
Abellio is a Dutch public transport company that operates several bus and rail services in the United Kingdom and Germany. It was founded as NedRailways in 2001, before being renamed Abellio in January 2010. Abellio is wholly owned by the Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen.
Greater Anglia is a train operating company in Great Britain owned as a joint venture by Abellio, the international arm of the state-owned Dutch national rail operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen, and the Japanese trading company Mitsui & Co. It operates the East Anglia franchise, providing the commuter and intercity services from its Central London terminus at London Liverpool Street to Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and parts of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire as well as many regional services throughout the East of England.
SSP is a British multinational contract foodservice company, headquartered in London, England. It operates more than 2,800 branded catering and retail units at over 180 airports and 300 railway stations across 35 countries as a concessionaire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
The Class 68 is a type of mainline mixed traffic diesel-electric locomotive manufactured by Stadler Rail for Direct Rail Services (DRS) in the United Kingdom. The design is derived from the Stadler Eurolight, and Stadler's product name for this variant is the UKLight.
In Great Britain, there are inter-city trains to numerous parts of the country. Most of these trains are high speed, and some operate into France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
The East Anglia franchise is a railway franchise for passenger trains on the Great Eastern Main Line and West Anglia Main Lines in England. It commenced operating in April 2004 when the Anglia and Great Eastern franchises, together with the West Anglia part of the West Anglia Great Northern franchise, were combined to form the Greater Anglia franchise.
Nomad Digital is an Internet Protocol (IP) Connectivity provider to the transport sector. It deploys wireless broadband connections for trains, metros, trams and buses, including passenger Wi-Fi services and remote condition monitoring for on-board rail components. Headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne in England, it operates globally.
GoMedia is a British company which supplies a management system which delivers entertainment packages including featuring films to travelers on trains and coaches including on Eurostar trains. The system also gives real-time travel information. Rather than using a monitor on the seat in front of the passenger, it uses the passenger's own device such as mobiles and tablets. It uses the vehicle's own wi-fi rather than the passenger's independent mobile network for on-board infotainment.