DB Regio Tyne & Wear Metro wins ‘Operator of the Year’ at 2011 Light Rail Awards

DB Regio Tyne and Wear (DBTW) has won the prestigious Operatorof the Year accolade at the 2011 Light Rail Awards.

The business, which is part of Arriva - Deutsche Bahn’sdivision responsible for regional passenger transport outside ofGermany, received the award in recognition of excellence inoperating the Tyne and Wear Metro.

Since winning the seven-year concession in April 2010, DBTW hasput efficiency standards in place that have improved Metro and madeit a better service for the 40 million passengers it carries eachyear. The company has rolled out a number of initiatives which havepositively impacted the daily service that Metro provides.

In its short time to date in running the network, DBTW hasclearly impressed, and its management of trains and stations havenot gone unnoticed by the rail industry.

DBTW’s managing director, Richard McClean, said:“Winning this award is a great honour for everybody at DBRegio Tyne and Wear who work so hard to maintain, manage andimprove Metro. Operating Metro is a challenge but through theefforts of each and every one of our employees, we are proving thatwe can ensure Metro provides a great service to the people itserves.”

Since DBTW took over, Metro has noticed some significantchanges; the most noticeable to passengers is the increased numberof customer-facing staff and station improvements. One of the firsttasks undertaken by the business was its ‘100 day cleanup’ project which saw staff take to stations and Metro cars,removing graffiti and cleaning stations in an effort to upgrade andimprove the Metro service.

“We have taken the operation of the network in our strideand continued to make improvements to service levels,”continued McClean. “This is highlighted in the everincreasing staff and higher customer satisfaction surveys. Perhapsour biggest challenge to date was when we were faced with the snowstorms last winter, which saw many transport operators put a stopto services. We kept Metro in operation, with not a single trainbeing cancelled due to a lack of train drivers. Every station wasalso covered by a member of staff with a broom and shovel to ensuresnow on platforms did not affect services.”

The initiatives listed, plus many more, contributed heavily tothe award of Operator of the Year and DBTW shows no sign of restingon its laurels as more recently the company has welcomed back itsrefurbished fleet of Metro cars to the region which have beenrefitted, repainted and re-upholstered.

Richard McClean added: “It is a great achievement for ourbusiness and our people to be able to bring this award back to theregion and be commended for our quality in operating Tyne andWear Metro.”

One of the Light Rail Awards judging panel said of DBTW’swin: “This year’s Operator of the Year is one of thenewest kids on the block, even though the system that it manages isactually one of the oldest.

“Since taking over 16 months ago, DB Regio has rolled upits sleeves and sorted out many of the issues on Tyne and WearMetro with extra services, more staff on the ground, cleaner,brighter and more reliable trains, and above all dead-straighthonesty. A deserved winner.”

Bernard Garner, director general of Nexus, which owns andmanages the concession contract with operator DBTW, said: "Metrohas set new standards for customer service and performance sincethe new operating concession was let to DB Regio in April 2010 - aswell as maintaining a great service through the worst winter indecades.

"Passenger satisfaction surveys show that the people who useMetro are noticing the difference so it is great to see ourconcessionaire recognised by being named Operator of the Yearagainst fierce competition from London, Manchester and Birmingham,among others."