West Midlands Railway wins national award
West Midlands Railway is named ‘Train Operator of the Year’ at the 2026 Rail Business Awards
West Midlands Railway has been named Train Operator of the Year at the 2026 Rail Business Awards.
The award comes after a period of investment by the company and its sister brand, London Northwestern Railway, which has seen around £1 billion spent on new trains and infrastructure.
Three new fleets have been introduced in recent years, increasing capacity by around 40% and carrying more than one million passengers each week.
The programme includes the introduction of Class 730/0 electric trains on busy routes such as the Cross City Line. The trains feature air conditioning, improved accessibility and power points at every seat, with customer satisfaction reportedly rising since their introduction.
Upgrades have also been made to depots in Birmingham, Coventry, Worcester and Shrewsbury, including a £70 million investment at Birmingham’s Tyseley depot.
The improvements, unveiled by West Midlands Mayor Richard Parker, aim to support the new fleets with increased capacity and modernised facilities.
Ian McConnell, managing director at WMR, said: “We are extremely proud to win ‘Train Operator of the Year’. This award is testament to the hard work of colleagues across our business, who have successfully introduced three new train fleets and futureproofed our train depots, while continuing to keep passengers moving every day.
“It’s been a tremendous team effort, so it’s fantastic to be recognised for our achievements over the past year. We are committed to keeping up this high standard and continuing to improve, so we can deliver the best possible service for our customers and communities.”
The investment programme has coincided with growth in passenger numbers.
A report from the Office of Rail and Road showed a 12% increase in journeys on the sister operators’ services in the first quarter of 2025/26, adding more than two million trips.
West Midlands Railway and London Northwestern Railway carried a combined 67.7 million passengers in 2024/25, with forecasts suggesting this could rise to more than 80 million in 2025/26.