ScotRail receives industry award for management of Edinburgh Oasis concerts
Rail planners win top awards for managing Scotland's biggest cultural events
ScotRail has been recognised at the Rail Industry Planning Awards for its handling of major events, including last year’s Oasis concerts and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
At a ceremony in Leeds earlier this week, Scotland’s national train operator won Strategic or Long-Term Planning Team of the Year. A joint entry from ScotRail and Network Rail Scotland also won Event Plan of the Year.
More than 200,000 fans attended the three Oasis concerts in August, which coincided with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe issuing over 2.6 million tickets.
The judges said: “Oasis’ three concerts at Murrayfield coincided with the peak of the Edinburgh Festival, but Scotland’s Railway cleverly integrated demand for both, and offered additional trains to get people to and from the events safely.”
Since returning to public ownership, Scotland’s Railway has run extra services for almost 60% more major events, with its Special Events team coordinating transport for the Edinburgh Festivals, concerts by Taylor Swift, Oasis and AC/DC, and major sporting fixtures.
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “The dedicated staff in our train planning team work tirelessly to schedule our services, sometimes in the face of the most challenging weather conditions, complex engineering works, and massive events.
“I am incredibly proud of the way they deliver twice-yearly timetable changes, requiring months of planning, but also pivot quickly to make sure as many services as possible are available to customers when short notice incidents like extreme weather take place.
“It’s a measure of their resilience and professionalism and I am grateful for their continued contribution to making Scotland’s Railway safer and more reliable for our customers.”
Ross Moran, route director at Network Rail Scotland, said: "Our planning teams work behind the scenes, carefully balancing competing demands to make sure passengers stay safe and the railway runs reliably.
“Recognition like this means a lot and reflects the strong partnership we have with ScotRail.
“It acknowledges the care, teamwork and commitment that keep the railway moving day in, day out, and the way our teams step up to support Scotland’s biggest moments.
“I’m incredibly proud of everyone involved and the important role they play."