REGIONAL train operator National Express East Anglia has achieved an awards double, picking up one accolade for its environmental strategy and another for its service to customers at London Liverpool Street station.

REGIONAL train operator National Express East Anglia has achieved an awards double, picking up one accolade for its environmental strategy and another for its service to customers at London Liverpool Street station.

The operator, formerly known as One, claimed the Environmental Innovation of the Year award at the Rail Business Awards 2008 in recognition of its action plan to improve energy efficiency.

The strategy has included the commissioning of regenerative braking, reducing electricity consumption for its fleet of Class 360 trains, and a training programme for all drivers in energy-efficient driving practices using state-of-the-art driving simulators located at the company's Customer Service Academy.

Other measures implemented to help reduce energy usage include improved efficiency of heating and lighting controls on trains; station-specific action plans to reduce energy usage, the appointment of energy champions for each route, and a review of non-passenger train workings.

The company's second award was the Rail Station of the Year title for London Liverpool Street at the London Transport Awards 2008, which it won in partnership with Network Rail.

This award recognised the significant improvements made at the station in the last 18 months including a new digital departure board, new platform information screens, an upgraded public address system, more customer service staff on the concourse to help passengers, a new central customer information point and improved communication links to help provide better information in the event of disruption.

National Express East Anglia also received commendations for work to improve punctuality in partnership with Network Rail at the London Transport Awards and for its internal communications and public relations work at the Rail Business Awards, where managing director Andrew Chivers was also a runner-up in the Rail Business Manager of the Year award.

Mr Chivers said: “I'm delighted that the work of our team at London Liverpool Street to provide a better service for passengers at not just our busiest station, but one of the busiest on the UK rail network, has been recognised.

“They have improved the quality of assistance and information offered to passengers at this crucial gateway for the capital and the region.

“I'm also pleased that our proactive and rigorous approach to energy efficiency and the environment has been recognised. Across our all parts of our business our dedicated strategy is reducing energy usage, maintaining and enhancing rail's position as an environmentally-friendly mode of travel.”