CARE and professionalism shown by GNER staff after the Hatfield rail disaster have been recognised with a national award.

At a London awards ceremony, held in London, the York-based company scooped The Modern Railways Award for Innovation in Marketing 2002.

The prize was awarded for GNER's post-Hatfield recovery campaign, Operation Springboard.

An eight-strong judging panel decided: "Despite the hit of two devastating tragedies, first Hatfield and then Selby, despite a long period of uncertainty about GNER's future franchise, and also the drop in passengers caused by foot and mouth, Operation Springboard successfully re-focused the hearts and minds of staff and customers alike to restore a high level of confidence in the company's perceived and actual quality of service. "Conceived and executed in the most adverse of circumstances, this was a truly winning campaign."

Operation Springboard included a series of discounted fare promotions to restore custom and passenger confidence.

More than half-a-million seats were made available across the GNER route at fares as low as £5.

Research indicated about a quarter of passengers taking advantage of the promotion had not travelled with GNER before.

Nine out of ten people said they were satisfied with the service.

Receiving the award - a cut glass engraved bowl and framed certificate - on behalf of the company's 3,000 staff, GNER chief operating officer Jonathan Metcalfe, said: "I am proud of the fantastic care and professionalism shown by everyone at GNER to ensure that trains were properly cleaned and serviced and passengers looked after during a very difficult time."

Updated: 16:28 Thursday, March 28, 2002