GB Railfreight tops the industry with prestigious prize for reducing self-delay minutes

GB Railfreight came away with two high-profile awards at the Institution of Railway Operators’ Golden Whistle Awards 2014 last week. The freight operator was not only named the Most Improved Freight Operator for the first three-quarters of 2013/14 (periods 1-9), using the Freight Performance Measure (FPM). It was also given the award for the Most Improved Operator across all networks, in terms of self-delay minutes. 

GBRf beat off fellow freight operators to capture the Silver Whistle as the Most Improved Freight Operator. It achieved 75.3% for its Moving Annual Average (MAA). This is 3.5% higher than GBRf’s original MMA target, the only increase of any freight operator on its original target.  

The second award for the Most Improved Operator was particularly significant because the competition also included operators from the passenger industry, such as Northern Rail, Virgin Trains and Southeastern. In periods 1-9, GBRf achieved an average of 9 mins 42 secs in self-delays per 100 train kms. 

These achievements are another example of the progress GB Railfreight is making as the fastest-growing rail freight operator in the UK. At present, it is working closely with the national rail infrastructure provider, Network Rail, to build on this year’s successes, and will continue to provide its customers with innovative solutions that aim to improve both reliability and punctuality into 2014/15. 

John Smith, Managing Director of GBRf, said:  

"GB Railfreight is delighted to have been awarded the Most Improved Freight Operator and Most Improved Operator at the IRO’s Golden Whistle Awards 2014. 

"It’s a special occasion when the industry recognises the hard work and commitment our team has put in the past year, and we will continue to build upon these achievements in 2014. 

"We have always strived to put the customer at the forefront of the services we offer. It’s this focused approach that has allowed us to develop into a company with a turnover in excess of £100 million in just 15 years." 

Notes to editors: 

1.    GB Railfreight is one of the UK’s leading rail freight companies. It operates around 650 trains per week in the UK and is the main transporter of coal on the rail network and the only rail freight company with regular contracts to move biomass.
2.    The Institution of Railway Operators (IRO) is the industry’s custodian of best practice in operational management, and thereby provides a focus for raising standards and enhancing the professional standing of those directly involved in the safe and reliable operation of railways.
3.    The IRO Golden Whistle Awards celebrates the performance of both passenger and freight operators in the rail industry
4.    The Freight Performance Measure (FPM) combines figures for punctuality and reliability to show the % of trains that arrive at their destination on time.
5.    MAA calculates the average % of trains which arrived at their destination in time, across the year so far (periods 1-9).
6.    The category ‘self-delay’ refers to the delays caused by the operator itself, as opposed to those caused by Network Rail.