Among the many deserving recipients on King Charles’s 2026 New Year’s Honours List are two current and one former Network Rail employee.

Awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) were two employees working on the HS2 project: Manjinder (Manny) Kang, a Community Safety Manager, and Sonia Hazel, an Assurance & Controls Manager.

Manny Kang joined the railway 25 years ago, and recognised for his dedication to educating children about railway safety and the dangers of trespassing. He often delivers presentations in several languages and has a unique style of presentation built on his faith. Manny speaks to thousands of children of all backgrounds each year, and aims to foster inclusion and build trust among them. He was also recognised with a Pride of Britain award in 2025 for raising over £300,000 for dementia sufferers and their families.

“It’s a surprise and deeply humbling. Keeping children safe is a role for all of us. I’m grateful I have a chance to connect with so many through my role at work. I hope receiving this honour will inspire others to do the same.”

Manjinder (Manny) Kang

Sonia Hazel was honoured for her passion for safety, and in creating psychologically safe spaces for black, Asian, and minority ethnic colleagues. This includes the Tea Break initiative, which provides them and their colleagues across the rail industry a secure environment in which to discuss issues. She is a highly regarded safety and inclusion advocate, a Health First Aider, workplace mediator, Samaritans volunteer, and deputy Chair of the Ethnicity and Race in Rail group. Sonia has also collaborated with Race Equality Matters in developing the programme to enable other organisations to implement the initiative.

“I’m still a bit stunned to be honest, the safety person in me thought it was a hoax initially. I am incredibly lucky to be recognised when there are so many colleagues across the industry making the world a better place. I just wanted to support colleagues to be themselves authentically at work.”

Sonia Hazel

Former employee Rob McIntosh was awarded an OBE for services to the railway in the north of England. He led major projects, such as the Borders Railway and multi-billion-pound upgrades of the East Coast and Midland Main Lines, and set up the Transpennine Route Upgrade. Rob was also instrumental in adopting the Swift Pragmatic Efficient Enhancement Delivery (SPEED) approach, which has saved billions of pounds.”

“I am really very humbled to be recognised in this way. I have had the privilege to work alongside some fantastic people in my career without whom I would never have achieved these things.”

Rob McIntosh

Across the Irish Sea, a volunteer at the Downpatrick and County Down Railway recently received a Gaisce Gold Award from the President of Ireland. In the 2024 New Year Honours List, two South Western Railway colleagues were awarded the British Empire Medal.