Sister rail companies honoured at prestigious planning awards

Sister rail companies London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway (LNR and WMR) were among those honoured at the prestigious 2026 Rail Industry Planning Awards.

The awards recognise planning teams for their dedication to prioritising passengers and working collaboratively to deliver effective railway timetables under pressure.

LNR and WMR’s planners were named winners of the ‘Short Term Planning Team of the Year Award’ for their work delivering a complex rollout of the operators’ newest electric train fleet – the Class 730/2s - to the West Coast Main Line last summer.

The new trains, which run on LNR routes to and from London Euston, have increased overall capacity on the network by 20% and enhanced the customer experience for thousands of passengers.

Judges also praised the Short Term Planning team for their successful delivery of event plans to support passengers travelling to football matches including FA Cup fixtures at Wembley Stadium as well as concerts and other events across its network.

Ashley Wilkes, head of planning, access and timetable strategy at LNR and WMR, said: “I am so pleased our fantastic STP team has been recognised with this award.

“They work so hard to ensure we run a reliable service which works for passengers and supports travel to events across our network.

“Crucially, they also played a key role in bringing our new electric trains to the West Coast Main Line. It was a challenging rollout but they delivered it seamlessly so our customers could feel the benefit of these modern, spacious trains, as quickly as possible.”

The Rail Industry Planning Awards, also known as the Golden Planners, are led by the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators, in partnership with Modern Railways.