Northern Rail’s Community Ambassadors, part of Citizens’ Rail’s Lancashire project, have triumphed over nine other European entries to win recognition for their Customer Service Excellence at this year’s European Rail Congress Awards.
The scheme has flourished in the North West, introducing thousands of people in ‘hard to reach’ communities to the opportunities of travelling by rail.
Alex Hynes, Managing Director at Northern Rail comments: “Our ambassadors have dedicated time and energy to offer a new lease of life to these communities and gradually overcome some of the obstacles of train travel. The numbers speak for themselves when we see a 14% rise in rail usage in these areas and it’s an incredibly proud moment to see them gain outstanding recognition for their commitment and value to Northern.”
Richard Watts, Rail Development Team Manager at Lancashire County Council comments: “This is an excellent achievement for the Community Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are an important part of the European funded Citizens’ Rail Interreg IVB project and are showing how to it is possible to engage with hard to reach groups in East Lancashire and Greater Manchester and encourage them to try the train. By breaking down barriers it is possible to transform the lives of many people by helping them take up better paid employment or attend colleges to gain higher qualifications.”
The awards were presented by Rory Bremner at the Westminster Park Plaza in London on Wednesday 13 November 2013.
Caption: Julia Clayton and Simon Abbott from Northern Rail collect the Customer Service Excellence award at the European Rail Congress Awards.
