Winner spotlight


Real Time Journey Planner helps National Rail Enquiries get top award


National Rail Enquiries was crowned overall winner, the Interfleet Technology Rail Business of the Year, for its ground- breaking Real Time Journey Planner and growing customer base. The accolade was a second coming for


the organisation, which also took the top award 10 years ago. The Rail Business of the Year Award is picked from winners of all the other categories, and recognised NRE’s well-deserved win in the Supplier Excellence category. It was collected by chief executive Chris Scroggins. Summing up how the organisation has


moved on in the last decade, he said: ‘We now have something like £700m-worth of sales leads we pass on to the industry, and about 15 to 16 million customers.’ Interviewing Scroggins on stage at the


awards evening, BBC correspondent and Rail Professional contributor Paul Clifton


said: ‘National Rail Enquiries and GB Railfreight have been the most frequent winners of awards since RBA started. You’ve concentrated this year on real-time journey planning and you claim to be the only people in the world doing this – that’s a bold claim.’ Scroggins responded: ‘As far as we


know – and we have been doing real-time journey planning for four years, in various forms – from all the talking we’ve done at conferences, and to our partners around the world, we believe that we’re the only people doing this.’ National Rail Enquiries is expecting 235


million enquiries this year, following the 199 million queries it handled last year. Its Real Time Journey Planner provides reports of service disruption as they occur and develop, in addition to the timetabling and fares information it also provides.


Scroggins on stage at the awards


Punctuality and passenger growth help Northern snag train operator award


stakeholders. Our customers are important to us and they contribute very much to our success.’ Bevan also paid tribute to Northern’s


owners Serco and Abellio, which, he said as he collected the award, give the operator great support.


In May 2010, Northern received a two-


Ian Bevan (left) with Steve Butcher, Northern’s chief operating officer


Asked by Rail Professional columnist Paul Clifton why Northern Rail had beaten 13 other Tocs to be named SSP Train Operator of the Year, Northern Rail’s managing director Ian Bevan said: ‘I think what we really do is focus on delivering good quality to our


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year franchise extension, having exceeded its performance targets. The punctuality of the route’s train services had grown from 83.7 per cent in 2004 – before Serco/Abellio took over the franchise – to 91.6 per cent in the 12 months up to May 2010. When the franchise was let in 2004, it


was deemed to be a ‘steady state’ franchise, with no signification growth of passenger numbers anticipated and no provision for funding for new rolling stock – the existing fleet was intended to last the length of the franchise, which was due to end in September 2011. But, the Toc has attracted 34 per cent


more passengers over the six years it has run the franchise, and it has invested more than £25m to improve trains, stations and employee facilities. Northern has also worked closely with


other organisations to attract external investment of more than £80m to improve stations and lease more trains. Bevan said: ‘We’re delighted to win this


award which is fantastic recognition of the efforts of all our employees in continuing to improve the service we offer our passengers. ‘We’ve worked hard to deliver an


increasingly punctual and reliable service, and this was recognised when we secured a two- year extension to our franchise last year. ‘However, we aren’t complacent and


everyone is committed to making sure we deliver even more for our customers over the next three years.’ Northern also won the Train Operator of


the Year category at the 2007 Rail Business Awards.


interviews Chris Paul Clifton Clifton asked Scroggins to predict how


the technology National Rail Enquiries uses will evolve over the next three to five years. ‘Who knows? There will be a huge shift to mobile, tablet and iPad.’ He went on to thank his team and the directors for their important contribution to the organisation’s success.


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