Merseyrail has again been recognised as the best performing regional rail operator at this year’s 'Golden Whistle' awards.

This is the third year in a row that it's won this award – proving that it is consistently one of the most punctual rail operators in the country.

The train company broke a national performance record earlier this year by completing an entire 28-day period with 99 per cent of its trains arriving on time or within 5 minutes (Public Performance Measure - PPM) – a first for the UK rail industry.

The awards, organised by Modern Railways and the Institution of Railway Operators, are dedicated to those working with railway operations and are based on operational performance statistics.

Zoe Hands, Operations Director at Merseyrail, said: “I’m delighted that our corner of the world continues to have the best performing railway, which is not only great for our customers, but something the region can be proud of.

“It has been a hugely challenging year and we’ve been able to operate a timely service throughout and are offering greater frequency and capacity at every opportunity.

“I’d like to extend my thanks to our partners at Merseytravel, Stadler, British Transport Police, Carlisle and Network Rail who work with us day in and day out to achieve these levels of performance – it wouldn’t have been possible without them.”