Major honour for north's rail operator

The ceremony was held at Old Billingsgate Market in London.

The Investors in People Awards recognises the people and teams that make a difference every day.

The 2016 awards received over 300 entries from across 12 countries.

Northern, part of the Arriva group, triumphed not only as the year’s ‘Best Newcomer’ but also took home the ‘Best Overall’ award; beating off fierce competition from both Gold and Platinum accredited winners from around the world.

The judging panel commented: “A fantastic example of an integrated programme of activity that builds capability for individuals and the organisation. The outputs of the changes are hugely impressive and the level of investment is matched by the care put into the solutions.”

Alex Hynes, Managing Director for Northern said: “We have more than 5,200 colleagues working together across the Northern network to serve 270,000 customers every day.

“These awards are fantastic recognition of our strong commitment to developing our people and making Northern a great place to work and build a career.”

Arriva Rail North Limited operates the Northern franchise, which is the second largest in the UK and it will run regional and commuter services across the region until March 2025.