Hull Trains’ new fleet is paying dividends when it comes to reliability, earning the open access operator a ‘golden spanner’.
The Hitachi Paragon fleet was introduced just prior to the pandemic, a cool £60 million investment in rolling stock. Five new trains serve the direct route to London, with the final 802 model introduced as the FirstGroup entity celebrated 21 years of operations.
Hull Trains has now been named ‘Best in Class’ at a national awards ceremony to recognise the most reliable fleets in the railway industry.
Read more: Hull Trains manager recognised as an industry leader for her pandemic dedication
The Golden Spanner awards, organised by trade publication Modern Railways, celebrate the best maintenance practices, paying tribute to those companies making the greatest strides in reliability on behalf of passengers.
And while it has one of the most modern fleets, and most environmentally friendly on the rails, the team behind them has had to contend with three periods of hibernation, as services were stalled during the lockdown periods as coronavirus measures saw demand dwindle, leading to a £10 million loss.
Martijn Gilbert, managing director of Hull Trains, said: “This is a fantastic achievement and testament to the commitment and hard work of our fleet team, working in partnership with Hitachi. They always go above and beyond in their duties to make sure our customers benefit from some of the most reliable services in the country. I would like to thank our teams for making this achievement possible and know they will not rest on their laurels in continuing to make improvements to the reliability of Hull Trains’ services.”
Three categories of trophy are awarded: gold for best in class, silver for most improved over the last year, and bronze for the lowest impact on the customer of failures. Hull Trains was awarded a gold – the highest accolade possible – in the second generation new inter-city category.
Figures are calculated using miles per technical incident. One is recorded should a train be stopped for three minutes or more due to a rolling stock issue.
Hull Trains’ fleet was last recognised with a Golden Spanner back in 2006, with its 222 Pioneers.
Sara Holland, fleet director at Hitachi Rail said : “Receiving this prestigious award for reliability is the best way to celebrate the three-year anniversary of the Paragon fleet. The Hitachi intercity fleet has consistently ranked inside the top 10 on the UK reliability table, often being three times more reliable than the industry average.
“This award is tribute to the collaboration between Hitachi and Hull Trains, as we look to improve reliability, so passengers continue to feel the benefits of these high performing trains.”
As reported, the trains have all been named post-lockdown, with a public vote for one, Jean Bishop (The Bee Lady) - a hugely popular woman who dedicated much of her lift to fundraising.
Staff and guests selected early aviator Amy Johnson, slave trade abolition leader William Wilberforce, quirky Hull street name Land of Green Ginger and iconic structure The Humber Bridge as the first four.
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