Rail employees in Wales and borders are celebrating after receiving two prestigious awards  for improved performance over the last year.

Transport for Wales picked up a Silver Whistle award for the most improved regional on-time performance, whilst industry partners Network Rail were also successful in winning a Silver Whistle award, in the “minimising delay minutes” category for reducing passenger delays, making them the most improved route across the UK.

This financial year not only has the route reduced delays by over a staggering 90,000 minutes but has also achieved 300,000 extra station stops!

This is particularly impressive considering twelve named storms have happened during the last year. This has meant the railway has not only had to work on its recovery, including removing hundreds of fallen trees at times, but also to keep trains running safely and getting people to their destinations.

The Golden Whistle Awards is an annual event organised by the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators (CIRO) in partnership with Modern Railways, to celebrate excellence in railway operations. This year’s awards took place at the Marriott Grosvenor Square in London.

The awards recognise outstanding train performance across the UK and the two silver whistles reflect the dedication of the teams across both TfW and Network Rail that work tirelessly day and night to provide a better journey for passengers in and around Wales.

Network Rail said the successes can be attributed to several factors, including:

Transport for Wales Head of Performance Adam Terry said: “We’re delighted to have been recognised with this award for most improved regional on-time performance.

“We’re very much aware that our performance is still far from perfect and there are certain parts of the country in which things are simply not good enough.

“There is, therefore, still lots of work to do to drive further improvements, but it’s really pleasing to see the success we’ve had so far recognised and it was a privilege to share success on the day with our colleagues at Network Rail”

Rachel Heath, Network Rail Route Operations Director for Wales & Borders, said: “We’re thrilled to be formally recognised for the commitment we’ve made to improving rail services for passengers and are continuing to work hard to improve further. We’ve had some serious challenges over the last year, but this award clearly shows the insight, skills, professionalism and team spirit that our people bring to work with them every single day.”