Northern staff win big at national rail industry awards

The team at Blackpool North picked up the Station Team Award at the 2024 RailStaff Awards for their work at one of the busiest stations in Lancashire.

Meanwhile, a conductor from Middlesbrough was awarded the Lifesaver Award for his intervention that helped save the life of a woman on his train.

The team at Blackpool were recognised for the support and assistance they provide to tens of thousands of customers who use the station during the summer months and their response to a wide range of challenging situations.

They were praised for the way they dealt with a number of anti-social behaviour incidents, for their support to distressed people who were at risk of harm and for their response to several medical emergencies.

Judges singled out their speedy action in rescuing a vulnerable customer who fell onto the track and performing CPR on another passenger who had collapsed until paramedics arrived.

The Lifesaver Award went to Liam King for his quick response when a customer fell ill and lost consciousness on a service in September.

The 27-year-old alerted the driver and contacted the emergency services before performing CPR on the woman.

He managed to revive her, but she stopped breathing again so he resumed CPR until the paramedics arrived at the station in Middlesbrough.

Commenting on the award wins, Matt Rice, chief operating officer at Northern, said: “We’re incredibly proud of Liam and the team at Blackpool and they thoroughly deserve the recognition they have received.

“The incidents highlighted as part of the judging process goes to show that our staff are not just there to check tickets - they help and protect millions of passengers every year and deal with a range of difficult situations.”

Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with nearly 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.