Heritage Railway Affiliation proclaims adjustments to annual awards

The Heritage Railway Association has introduced new classes as a part of an overhaul of its Annual Awards.

5 model new classes are coming for 2023, which have been designed to make sure the awards proceed to recognise one of the best work throughout the heritage rail sector.

A brand new Railway of the Yr class has headlined the adjustments and will likely be given to the railway, tramway or funicular railway that has achieved or demonstrated excellence in customer expertise, enterprise, security, equality, teamwork, preservation, restoration or engineering.

Additionally coming to the awards is Staff of the Yr – this will likely be offered to a particular group or workforce for excellence of their subject.

The Infrastructure Award will go to a mission that may reveal how they supported the event of a railway or tramway.

A brand new Rising Star award debuts for 2023 that goals to recognise innovation or success by organisations which are new to the sector (a HRA member for lower than 10 years).

Lastly, there may be the brand new Award for Enterprise Innovation which has been created to recognise inventive revenue era concepts.

The Award for Diesel Locomotion now contains diesel and electrical powered autos and now contains locomotives, a number of items, railcars and trams.

Additionally receiving modification for 2023 is the Award for Advertising and marketing and Communications, which is able to now cowl all types of communication, public relations, promoting and advertising and marketing in any format, together with digital communications.

This implies there will likely be 11 classes on the 2023 HRA Annual Awards together with the highly-respected Morgan Award for Rolling Inventory Preservation.

The HRA Award for Environmental Innovation that was new for 2022 is about to return for 2023.

Entries for the 2023 awards will open in early October with the winners introduced in March 2023.

Brian Simpson, Chairman of the Heritage Railway Affiliation, stated: “The heritage rail sector has advanced at a considerable tempo during the last two or three years. We felt that it was time to make sure that the HRA Awards may additionally evolve to raised mirror the large array of profitable and high-quality work that is occurring within the sector.

“Our 2022 awards noticed extra entries than ever earlier than. Nevertheless it additionally highlighted that we weren’t recognising some components of the sector in addition to we may. That’s why we’ve launched a brand new class for infrastructure. We’ve broadened the scope of some classes to make sure, for instance, that electrical traction in its many kinds isn’t unnoticed. And we’re doing extra to recognise the broader image with additions like our new Railway of the Yr class.

“I understand how effectively heritage railways and tramways have been rising to the challenges of this, typically painful, post-Covid, publish Brexit world. I hope these adjustments will enable us to have a good time the large successes of the sector in its many kinds on the HRA Annual Awards.”