2009 Winners

The Network Rail Partnership Awards provide an occasion for us to reward and recognise excellence and best practice among organisations that have worked with us and helped us to achieve our aims and objectives over the past year.

The following winners were announced at an awards dinner hosted by comedian Jimmy Carr at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Tuesday 14 July 2009.

Best Project Award

This is to recognise a project delivered by a supplier that has brought benefits to Britain’s railways. The judges looked for measurable results that demonstrated the effectiveness of the project and the benefits it brought and also looked for evidence of an impeccably planned and delivered project.

Winner: Carillion – Manchester Airport Third Platform
This project involved extensive civil engineering works to construct an additional platform to the south of Manchester Airport station.

Highly Commended: Arup and Carillion – Brigg Line Freight Enhancement
The main works for this project included the stabilisation of 1.3km of twin track rail embankment and the strengthening and refurbishment of numerous bridges along the line.

Highly Commended: Atkins – Resignalling at Rugby and Nuneaton As part of the West Coast modernisation this project work included 16 solid state interlockings, 316 signals, 139 sets of points and 696 axle counters.

Shortlisted: Birse Rail – Corby Modular Station
The new station and transport interchange at Corby provides hourly rail services to London. Works were completed with 11 weeks’ design and 11 weeks’ construction.

Shortlisted: May Gurney – Renovation works to the High Level Bridge, Newcastle
This project involved major repair and strengthening works which have ensured the bridge’s function as a strategic transport link for local road traffic and the national railway network.  

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Community Engagement Award

This award is to recognise company, community or charitable giving programmes that are improving local communities in Britain. It may also include groups of two or more companies that are having an impact on society and local communities through collaborative action.

Winner: Severnside Community Rail Partnership and First Great Western – Severnside Schools and Community Station Programme
The programme has transformed the appearance of 11 unstaffed stations in Greater Bristol, involving schools and engaging young offenders through the Community Payback Scheme.

Highly Commended: Arriva Trains Wales – Port Talbot Parkway Station Refurbishment Project 
Young people from the Sea Cadets Corps and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Youth Offending Service were engaged in this project to enhance the appearance of the station.

Highly Commended: Gloves Community Centre – Railway Safety The centre offers young people exciting alternatives to playing on the railway providing the opportunity to get fit and keep safe.

Shortlisted: Abbey Line Community Rail Partnership – St Albans Abbey Station Improvement Project
This project engaged the local community and has greatly changed the environment of the station, creating a welcoming, safe and attractive station for passengers.

Shortlisted: National Express East Anglia – Station Presentation Partnerships
Through a range of activities including community days and adopt-a-station schemes this programme has delivered cleaner, smarter and better maintained stations.

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Environmental Sustainability Award

This category is to reward organisations that have displayed exemplary behaviour in making sure that environmental considerations have played an important part when undertaking projects or general work practices on or near the railway.

Winner: Birse Rail – Stoke Gifford Embankment Stabilisation
A sustainable design solution was utilised during this emergency embankment stabilisation using unprecedented volumes of recycled ballast products.

Highly Commended: Balfour Beatty Rail Projects – Orient Way, thinking about the environment first
In one of the first projects to be completed for the 2012 Olympics, ninety-nine percent of the demolition and site clearance waste was recycled and all track materials and ballast was reused on site.

Highly Commended: Mac’Ants Group – Innovation in Coating Removal Grit blasting technologies using aerospace knowledge delivered numerous environmental benefits including a ninety percent reduction in waste and landfill and reduced vehicle movements.

Shortlisted: Amey Colas – Webasto Heaters
The Ebberspacher heater for vehicles can run for hours on minimal fuel and without the van’s engine on reducing air emissions and noise pollution.

Shortlisted: Bayer Environmental Science – Reducing the amount of pesticide used on the network without compromising results The active ingredients in the pesticides used have been significantly reduced without any detrimental effects on results. A reduction in water consumption and lower transportation and storage costs has also been delivered.

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Good Lineside Neighbour Award

This award is to recognise an organisation or individual that has worked hard to go above and beyond normal customer service to be a good lineside neighbour when undertaking work. The judges looked for the benefits this has brought to Network Rail and the rail industry.

Winner: Volkerfitzpatrick – Ashford Depot Connection Project
The installation of a new depot connection was completed on time and to budget with minimal impact to the railway lineside neighbours, depot operation and commissioning of the Class 395 Javelin trains.

Highly Commended: BAM Nuttall – Railway Communications System Project During the installation of the Fixed Telecommunications Network one hundred percent of waste concrete troughing, timber and cable drums were recycled, charitable donations made and a public nuisance avoidance campaign instigated.

Highly Commended: C Spencer – Holgate Bridge, York
The local community was consulted throughout the refurbishment of the bridge, with workshops to teach children the basic principles of engineering and new methodology identified to reduce noise pollution.

Shortlisted: Galliford Try Rail – Laurencekirk Station Reopening
As a result of the positive relationship built with the local community no noise complaints were received throughout the 170 overnight possessions required as part of this project.

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Heritage Award

This is to recognise a project or an organisation that has improved, restored or conserved any Network Rail railway buildings or structures of national importance in an effort to restore the heritage of Britain’s railways.

Winner: May Gurney - Renovation works to the High Level Bridge, Newcastle This project involved major repair and strengthening works which have ensured the bridge’s function as a strategic transport link for local road traffic and the national railway network.

Highly Commended: C Spencer – Holgate Bridge, York
The local community was consulted throughout the refurbishment of the bridge, with workshops being run to teach children the basic principles of engineering and new methodology identified to reduce noise pollution.

Highly Commended: Friends of Settle-Carlisle Line – Garsdale Station, North Yorkshire
Garsdale station has been restored and reopened nearly 20 years since the line’s reprieve from closure. A statue of Ruswarp the dog whose paw print objected to the closure was also unveiled.

Shortlisted: Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering – Forth Bridge Refurbishment
The refurbishment of the bridge is due for completion in 2012 when 260,000m² of the structure will have been grit-blasted, repaired and protective coatings applied.

Shortlisted: Kier Construction – Southport Station Roof Renewal and Enhancements This £3.9 million project delivered renewal of a life-expired roof at Southport station and an up-to-date concourse while maintaining the station’s heritage appeal.

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Information Technology Award

This award is to reward organisations that have used information technology to mitigate or solve a problem that Network Rail faces or those that have used information technology to streamline processes. Judges looked for measurable results that showed the benefits that this technology has created.

Winner: AMT-Sybex – Changing the Infrastructure Maintenance Systems This project involved the reorganisation of systems supporting work and asset management activity for Infrastructure Maintenance and enabled operation without any disruption to running the business.

Highly Commended: Cosalt International – XML-based electronic trading solution
The exchange of electronic purchasing information for high-visibility protective clothing was improved by installing a bespoke XML system to capture, process and share data in seconds.

Highly Commended: Logica – Track Access Billing System The new information management system developed in this project meets new billing regulations for CP4 and provides business autonomy, enabling updates to charging rules without the need for further Information Management investment.

Shortlisted: Enterprise Informatics – Advanced Records Management
This project enabled the consolidation of the National Records Group ensuring there was no drop in service. The technology provided offers customers electronic access to records rather than having to travel to the centre in York.

Shortlisted: NDC Consultants – Cable and cable route survey and design service for the Railway Communications System project The system developed in this project has improved the management of site survey information and the creation of designs for the Railway Communications project.

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Innovation Award

This award is to reward organisations or individuals who have created new approaches for mitigating or solving a problem that Network Rail faces. Judges looked for genuine innovation and for measurable results as to how these new products or new ways of working have brought benefits.

Winner: FLI Structures – Rapid deployment grillages for the Railway Communications System project This fast and low cost foundation solution offers a £1.65 million saving and can be installed in two weeks as opposed to four weeks for traditional foundations. It’s also light weight, collapsible and a good solution for sites with poor access.

Highly Commended: AP Webb Plant Hire – Live Wire Hire
A suite of specialised machinery capable of working under live overhead line equipment was developed to provide a more low cost solution, reduce the time taken to complete the work and improve safety and efficiency.

Highly Commended: HSS Hire – Various Innovation Schemes A number of innovation schemes have contributed to time and resource efficiency and improved occupational health. Schemes targeted tamping tools, night working and cable replacement.

Highly Commended: Peli Products – Battery Lighting Through the use of battery lighting there has been a reduction in the risk of over-run on maintenance projects and the impact on the environment as the products do not need generators to operate.

Shortlisted: Apex Cables – Anti-theft Power Cables
This cable has several traceable features built into the design which identifies it as being of Network Rail origin and also states the location and route reference the cable was manufactured for.

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Investing in People Award

This award is to recognise an organisation that has demonstrated excellence in investing in people; for example in talent, skills, apprenticeship schemes, training, leadership and development. Judges looked for evidence on how these have created benefits for the organisation and Network Rail as well as the railway industry.

Winner: Benchmark Training – Practical Leadership Programme
This programme provides front line managers with dynamic and action-centred learning to successfully develop key managerial and practical leadership skills essential to lead trackside operational teams.

Highly Commended: Amey – Developing People in the Rail Industry
The innovation and engagement programmes focussed on talent and leadership and led to business improvement savings of more than £1 million.

Highly Commended: University of Warwick – Stepping Stones Programme
The programme succeeded in developing energetic, self-sufficient and motivated managers who are empowered to lead, willing to challenge and skilled in teambuilding.

Shortlisted: Signet Solutions – Customised Signalling Training
The signalling conversion programmes have enabled graduates and engineers from other industries to gain knowledge and experience to excel in the signalling industry.

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Safety Award

This award is to recognise organisations that have improved safety within the workplace and on or near the railway and the benefits this has brought to the organisation and the railway industry. The judges looked for a continued and sustained effort to improve safety.

Winner: Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering – Forth Bridge Refurbishment
The refurbishment of the bridge is due for completion in 2012 when 260,000m² of the structure will have been grit-blasted, repaired and protective coatings applied.

Highly Commended: C Spencer – The Armband Scheme/Daily Shift Briefing
The briefing ensures everyone on site identifies the risks associated with activities relevant to that shift. After which they are issued with a colour coded armband which forms part of access procedures.

Highly Commended: Carillion – GWESPA Western Territory Civil Engineering Framework
This eight year framework agreement is delivering embankment and cutting stabilisation, bridge demolition and rebuild, steelwork repairs, coastal defence and drainage works.

Shortlisted: Capita Business Services – National Competency Control Agency (NCCA)
90,000 people have registered with the NCCA since it’s conception 10 years ago and it continues to ensure only competent staff are allowed to work on the railway infrastructure.

Shortlisted: May Gurney – A RIDDOR Free Year on the London North East Territory Civils Structure Framework The key indicator in achieving the RIDDOR free year was the Making a Difference behavioural change programme, developed in house but shared throughout the industry.

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Team Contribution

This category is to reward teamwork between different companies and organisations or between teams within the same organisation who have made a difference to the railway and brought benefits to Network Rail. Judges will be looking for evidence to demonstrate the benefits that their contribution has made.

Winner: Westinghouse Rail Systems, Morgan Est and Colas Rail – Edinburgh Waverley Station
This project demonstrated the benefits of working in a collaborative environment. The teams ensured there was minimum disruption to passengers and the works were completed on schedule.

Highly Commended: BAM Nuttall – W10 Freight Gauging – Hampstead Heath Tunnel Slab Tracking
Part of the 2012 Olympic Games strategy, this scheme was delivered by a team of resources from across Britain and Europe who installed over 2km of ballast-less track system during an 11-week blockade.

Highly Commended: Railway Industry Association Overhead Line Equipment Competence Group – Development of National Competence Framework for Overhead Line Equipment Construction
This project team devised a new competence framework to support renewals and the national electrification programme. This will improve the safety, quality and deliverability of electrification projects.

Shortlisted: Afiniti – Rail Defects Management System This system delivered a single national application covering suspected and actual rail defects, inspection and remediation. The team further provided rollout planning, training, delivery and end user support.

Shortlisted: Balfour Beatty Civil Engineering – Forth Bridge Refurbishment
The refurbishment of the bridge is due for completion in 2012 when 260,000m² of the structure will have been grit-blasted, repaired and protective coatings applied.

Shortlisted: Carillion – River Tees Bridge Construction Early installation works on this project encountered remnants of an earlier structure which threatened an overrun of 5 months for redesign and demolition. Through close collaboration the works were completed only 11 days over the original finish date.

Shortlisted: Southern and Bombardier – Making regenerative braking a reality on the third rail network This £700k project has succeeded in returning regenerated electricity to the third rail, reducing energy consumption by 20 percent. Over 2,400 tonnes of carbon a year is being saved with the potential of a further 2,300 when the remaining trains are converted.

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Supplier of the Year

Only the winners from the above categories were eligible for consideration into this award. Judges gave this award to the supplier that has demonstrated excellence and best practice in all work areas.

Winner: Balfour Beatty  

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