Enter now to help celebrate UK rail excellence
ENTRIES are now being accepted for this year’s National Rail Awards - the ‘Railway Oscars’.
This will be the 19th year that RAIL’s National Rail Awards have taken place. This year’s big night will be on September 13, with the venue once again London’s prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel.
RAIL’s National Rail Awards recognise outstanding achievements in the UK rail industry over the past year, and particularly seek to reward initiatives that demonstrate measurable improvements in performance which can be rolled out across the railway, to improve the industry’s longer-term success and sustainability.
Judging is rigorous, and the due diligence process will include visiting or interviewing all shortlisted entries. Entries are welcomed from across the rail industry, its supply chain and its stakeholders (see panel for further details on the categories).
Two new judges have joined this year’s panel. Andrew Haines, chief executive of the Civil Aviation Authority since August 2009, previously had a wide-ranging career in the rail industry.
Nicola Shaw joined National Grid in July 2016, after spending five years as chief executive officer at HS1. In July 2015, she was asked to report to the Government on the future structure and financing of Network Rail. The subsequently named Shaw report was published in March 2016.
And following the success of the Young Rail Professionals (YRP) joining the NRA judging panel in 2017, this programme will continue for 2018, with RAIL welcoming two
new judges.
Katherine Howatson joined the Transport for London (TfL) graduate scheme in 2015, after gaining a degree in geography at the University of Sheffield. Since then she has worked across TfL and undertaken a secondment with a transport research agency.
Paul Case is a project manager for London Underground, having joined the rail industry four years ago as a trainee graduate project manager. He is also the national chairman of the YRP, responsible for leading over 70 volunteers across the UK, serving more than 6,000 members from across the UK rail industry. @RAIL ■ Don’t miss your chance to take part in this year’s National Rail Awards. The entry deadline is March 31. For more information and details on how to enter an award or to book a table, visit www. nationalrailawards.com.