At the National Transport Awards 2025, Greater Anglia was named Rail Operator of the Year, after impressing the judges with its record-breaking performance and customer satisfaction after it introduced a brand-new fleet of trains across its network.

The judges also noted how punctuality had improved, and the services were cleaner and more reliable, and what can be achieved through investment, innovation, and a real focus on customers.

For the last two years, Greater Anglia has been the UK’s most punctual operator in the UK since April 2023, with 93.7% of trains arriving at their destination within 5 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, and its best-performing routes up to 98.5%.

The new fleet of trains that it has introduced all have Wi-Fi, plug and USB points, air conditioning, better accessibility, and more seats. Several new, direct services have also been introduced, including between Norwich and Stansted Airport.

The timing of the award could not have been more propitious, given that on Sunday, October 12th the government took Greater Anglia back into public ownership, especially as during the last year, it has won the “Passenger Operator of the Year” award at the National Rail Awards, the “Operator of the Year” award at the Spotlight Rail Awards, and the “Train Operator of the Year” award at the Rail Business Awards. For the third year running, it has also gained three Golden Whistle awards for high standards of punctuality and reliability, as well as a Golden Spanner award for the excellent performance of its bi-mode trains.

“Everyone at Greater Anglia is really proud to have received the Rail Operator of the Year award at the National Transport Awards. Following on from similar accolades at the National Rail Awards, the Spotlight Rail Awards, and the Rail Business Awards, all in the last nine months, it’s another valuable independent endorsement of the progress we have made in raising service standards in recent years. All across our company, colleagues are passionate about doing their best for the customers and communities we serve. With excellent performance, a commitment to customer service, high-quality new trains, and effective partnerships with other rail industry organisations and wider stakeholders, we’re fully focused on maintaining our high standards. I’d like to thank colleagues from across Greater Anglia for their hard work and commitment, and also express our gratitude to key partners, such as Network Rail, the Department for Transport, Stadler, Alstom, our community rail partnerships, our station adopters, other rail industry organisations and regional stakeholders, who all play a key role in helping us provide a high-quality service. We will continue to work to keep up our high standards and keep on improving – always focused on delivering the best train service we can for customers, communities, and wider stakeholders across our region.”

Martin Beable, Managing Director, Greater Anglia