Lumo’s Class 803 fleet wins Gold at Golden Spanner Awards for reliability

Credit: Lumo

Lumo has announced that its all-electric Class 803 fleet has been awarded the prestigious Gold accolade in the 2nd Generation new inter-city category at the annual Golden Spanner Awards, which is organised by Modern Railways to celebrate excellence in fleet reliability across the UK’s rail industry. This marks the third consecutive year Hitachi Rail’s maintenance team has earned this top award for their commitment to reliability and performance.

Built at Hitachi Rail’s Newton Aycliffe facility in the North East, the Lumo fleet is designed to provide a sustainable and reliable service along the East Coast Mainline. Over the past 12 months, it has achieved remarkable reliability, becoming the UK’s most dependable train fleet. This success is attributed to collaborative efforts between Lumo, Hitachi Rail’s maintenance teams and innovative digital maintenance solutions.

Martijn Gilbert, Managing Director of Lumo, expressed pride in the recognition, stating, “This Golden Spanner award is a real reflection of the exceptional efforts of our team and those of our partners at Hitachi. It highlights the strides we’ve made in setting new standards for reliability while pioneering sustainability goals to make rail even cleaner, greener and truly customer focussed. Our focus remains on providing a dependable, eco-friendly service that meets the evolving needs of customers, and this prestigious recognition reinforces the value of the Lumo approach.”

Jim Brewin, Chief Director UK & Ireland at Hitachi Rail, said: “For the third consecutive year, Hitachi Rail’s maintenance team has been honoured with the industry’s highest award for reliability. This achievement is a testament to our strong partnership with our customers, whose daily collaboration is vital in establishing new standards in train reliability.”

Hitachi Rail’s digital maintenance initiatives, including real-time digital asset monitoring, have been instrumental in maximising fleet performance by optimising maintenance schedules and minimising downtime. This technological approach supports continuous improvement in fleet availability and reliability across the network, further contributing to the Lumo fleet’s success in setting a new standard for rail service on the East Coast Mainline.