Media centre

Monday 9 Mar 2020

Network Rail Southern Region lands a double at industry awards ceremony thanks to community work in Sussex and Brighton Main Line upgrade work

Region & Route:

Southern

Network Rail Southern Region was successful at the 22nd Rail Business Awards, winning two awards and also receiving a highly-commended title.

Network Rail teamed up with Kier, a leading UK construction and infrastructure company on the Southern Power Supply Upgrade scheme, which won the Sustainability & Environmental Excellence award.

The judges were impressed by the way in which Network Rail and Kier worked with local communities to take abandoned bicycles at Brighton station and repurposed them for those who need them the most, creating two permanent jobs for local people.

At Combe Valley near Bexhill-on-Sea, the team also reclaimed overgrown redundant sidings to create a welcoming environment for residents. This work included upcycling cable drums for picnic tables using sleepers for benches and resulted in a natural habitat with views of the adjoining nature reserve.

Mark Ellerby, Senior Commercial Scheme Sponsor at Network Rail said:

“This is great recognition for the effort that the respective teams have put into delivering for our passengers. We are delighted to have received this recognition of our work and continued commitment to improving the railway for the communities we serve.”

Jonathan Walley, managing director of rail at Kier, said:

“Working collaboratively with Network Rail, we are proud of the works we have completed as part of the IP Sussex Power Supply Upgrade on the Brighton mainline and the far-reaching benefits it has brought to the local community. We are thrilled to have won the Sustainability & Environmental Excellence award at the Rail Business Awards which reflects our commitment to leaving lasting legacies in areas in which we work.”

Network Rail also won an award for the Infrastructure Project Excellence award on the Brighton Main Line improvement project. The judges felt it was a brave decision to have such a long blockade at times outside the industry norms, but the volume of work achieved, and the benefits have paid off. The bus replacement and particularly the arrangements at Three Bridges was well planned and executed.

The company was also highly commended for the associated communication campaign which involved extensive stakeholder, community and passenger engagement.