The Top Employers Institute has accredited East Midlands Railway (EMR) as a Top Employer in the UK for 2026. This follows its receipt of the same accreditation last year and the year before, and is the tenth year in a row that the operator has received this gong.

The award is not competitive, but is an accreditation also awarded to several other railway employers, including in previous years ScotRail and LNER.

EMR, which is operated by Transport UK, sees the decade of the award as a milestone which “reflects a deeply embedded, group-wide culture across EMR and Transport UK where leaders are trusted, empowered and developed to sustain high performance over the long term”. The company attributes its achievement of the certification to its being “built on pride, collaboration and professionalism”, and claims that its people and leadership give it a competitive edge.

It sees the accreditation as a recognition of its commitment to creating a workplace that includes and supports its employees, as well as centring them in achieving excellence in its operations and its organisation.

The Top Employers Institute assesses employers via its Human Resources Best Practices Survey. The Survey covers six domains: People Strategy; Work Environment; Talent Acquisition; Learning; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Wellbeing. The process is independently validated. It is not clear whether there is any input from employees’ representatives in assessing their employers.

It is considered a global authority in Human Resources certification, benchmarking and advisory services, and certifies more than 2,400 organisations in 125 countries.

EMR and Transport UK argue that they take an approach to developing leadership development and people strategy that enables their services to run safely and reliably.

“Being recognised as a Top Employer for the 10th consecutive year is an exceptional achievement and something we are immensely proud of. It reflects the dedication of our people and our long-term commitment to creating a workplace where colleagues feel valued, supported and empowered to succeed.

“This recognition reinforces our belief that investing in our people and developing strong, trusted leaders is fundamental to delivering a great railway for our customers and communities.”

Kate Holden, HR Director at East Midlands Railway