Gold award recognises Lumo’s reliability

A leading intercity operator has been awarded a top accolade for train reliability, highlighting its contribution to sustainable travel and customer satisfaction.

The 100 per cent electric Lumo Class 803 fleet, built at Hitachi Rail’s Newton Aycliffe facility in County Durham, earned the Gold Award at the 2024 Golden Spanner Awards, cementing its status as the UK’s most reliable train fleet.

Operating on the East Coast Main Line, Lumo connects Edinburgh with Morpeth, Newcastle, Stevenage and London King’s Cross, delivering industry-leading reliability and a 96 per cent customer satisfaction score.

The award reflects a year of exceptional performance driven by collaboration between Lumo and Hitachi Rail’s maintenance teams, alongside advanced digital systems enhancing operational efficiency.

Jim Brewin, chief director UK & Ireland at Hitachi Rail, said: “For the third consecutive year, Hitachi Rail’s maintenance team has been honoured with the industry’s highest award for reliability.

“This achievement is a testament to our strong partnership with our customers, whose daily collaboration is vital in establishing new standards in train reliability.

“A huge congratulations to our dedicated maintenance teams, whose ‘continuous improvement’ mindset and digital maintenance solutions are breaking new ground in fleet performance.”

The Golden Spanner Awards, organised by Modern Railways, are the rail industry’s most prestigious recognition for fleet reliability, with winners being selected based on 12 months of operational data.

This achievement adds to Lumo’s recent accolades, including the 'Green Innovation Business of the Year' at the North East Chamber of Commerce Business Awards and the 'Best Business at Reducing Carbon Emissions' from the Institute of Supply Chain Management Awards.

Martijn Gilbert, managing director of Lumo, added: “This Golden Spanner award is a real reflection of the exceptional efforts of our team and those of our partners at Hitachi.

“It highlights the strides we’ve made in setting new standards for reliability while pioneering sustainability goals to make rail even cleaner, greener and truly customer focused.

“Our focus remains on providing a dependable, eco-friendly service that meets the evolving needs of customers, and this prestigious recognition reinforces the value of the Lumo approach.”

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