IT TAKES TWO: SOUTH TOTTENHAM DUO TAKES HOME 'OUTSTANDING PERSONAL CONTRIBUTION' AT THE NATIONAL RAIL AWARDS

ARL colleagues came together on Thursday night for this year’s National Rail Awards (NRAs), ending a six-month-long wait to find out who would be taking home a ‘Railway Oscar’.  

We’re thrilled to announce that Azaz Khan and Ray McDonagh have won the ‘Outstanding Personal Contribution’ award! 

Decision time
After much deliberation at the start of the year, the executive team proposed three entries across two categories:

Outstanding Personal Contribution – Azaz Khan and Ray McDonagh
South Tottenham station assistants Azaz and Ray were recognised for their dedication in converting a large area of wasteland at the station into an oasis, with constantly changing and evolving displays of flowers and beds for vegetables throughout the year. The work on the garden has evolved into a number of projects with the local community, opening up new relationships and changing attitudes.

Passenger Operator of the Year – Arriva Rail London
Our entry for ‘Operator of the Year’ highlighted the resilience, reliability and flexibility of colleagues across the business, who have maintained some of the highest levels of performance in the country while also taking on growing numbers of passengers.

The homestretch
The National Rail Awards board informed ARL that all three of its entries had been successful in reaching the finals back in May.

After discovering he was a finalist for the ‘Outstanding Personal Contribution’ category, Azaz told us: “I am very grateful to ARL for celebrating my efforts and putting me forward as a finalist for the National Rail Awards. Each and every word of the entry was a pleasure to read and makes me feel incredibly proud of the work we’ve done.”

Unfortunately, due to the entry criteria for this category, Azaz and Ray had to be nominated as competing entries and therefore expected to be interviewed separately by the NRAs. However, there was a surprising turn of events on the day, as explained by service delivery manager, Hitesh Patel: “I accompanied Azaz and Ray to their interviews. The board made an exception and chose to interview them together, which I applauded. Whilst each told their own heartfelt story, it is clear that Azaz and Ray see themselves as a team. I think all four of the panel were blown away - one of the judges even appeared to be close to tears.”

It’ll be alright on the night
As ARL colleagues settled at their table, managing director Paul Hutchings reflected on what being ‘Passenger Operator of the Year’ finalist means to him: “Being shortlisted for this award three years in a row is testament to the adaptability of colleagues across the business in the face of unexpected challenges and disruption. 2022 brought many challenges, including the fallout of the pandemic, industrial action across the industry, extreme weather, and events such as Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

“Every challenge has been met with resilience and flexibility from our team – all whilst continuing to deliver industry-leading levels of customer satisfaction and cultivate our relationships with local communities across London.”

The final award to be announced was the ‘Outstanding Personal Contribution’ category. The judges jointly awarded Azaz and Ray for their commitment to growing a community at South Tottenham. Steph McGovern, who presented the ceremony, remarked: “It was immediately clear to judges that this extended far, far beyond merely creating a station garden.”

A huge congratulations to everyone involved in our winning and shortlisted entries!