- Dundalk is Ireland’s best station
- Hazelhatch, Millstreet, Westport, Malahide win regional awards
- Special customer service award to Dromod Station
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, T.D. today (Monday) presented the Iarnród Éireann awards to best station winners. Dundalk’s Clarke Station has been named Overall Best Train Station in Ireland at the annual Iarnród Éireann Best Station Awards, which took place at Iarnród Éireann’s Inchicore Engineering Works today.
The Station plays a key role in the commuter town of Dundalk and the surrounding area. The busy commuter and Belfast Enterprise station serves over a thousand customers every day and the staff were commended for their customer service and pride in their station. The station is also home to a beautiful railway museum that is enjoyed by locals and visitors alike.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe, T.D., said: ’I would like to pay tribute to everyone involved here today and particularly, of course, to Dundalk and all the winners taking away Best Station Awards for their efforts. Awards such as these offer a real incentive for staff to go the extra mile in terms of how the station looks and operates and in the delivery of excellent service for commuters passing through. Public transport demand is picking up significantly, due to the number of people going back to work, and this is expected to continue in the years ahead. This puts customer service under increased pressure to perform at a high standard which, it appears, you are rising to meet. Taking pride in what we do is an important part of a fulfilling career. As Minister for Transport, I thank you for the work you do in representing your company and in bringing to life one of its core values of working together for the customers’.
David Franks, Chief Executive of Iarnród Éireann said: “Winning the title of Best Station in Ireland is a high honour and I congratulate Anthony Monaghan, Martin Dullaghan and all the staff who work so hard to give our customers a positive experience as they pass through the station every day. Our customers are the most important part of our business so it is fitting that they should choose the winner of the Best Station Awards”
The winners are chosen by public vote, with almost 4,000 customers rating their stations as part of this year’s awards, by Customer Information, Station Appearance and Staff helpfulness. Anthony and Martin collected the award on behalf of Dundalk, along with District Manager, Tom Ayres. The magnificent crystal locomotive trophy was presented to the team and it will adorn Dundalk station throughout the next year.
Regional winners
Dundalk also collected the title of Best Leinster Station, beating off competition from Mullingar and Carlow.
Munster saw Millstreet taking the top title this year. Brian Gardiner and Michael Mullane, were proud to pick up the award. Mallow and Templemore stations were highly commended by customers.
Westport were once again victorious in the Connacht category. Station Manager, Anne Elliot was delighted to pick up their award. Ballina and Dromod were highly commended in the category.
In the Commuter category overall winners last year Hazelhatch took the top award in this category, with Patricia Bermingham and Joe Brophy on hand to collect the award. Balbriggan and Arklow were highly commended in commuter category.
The Best DART station for 2015 was Malahide Station with special mention going to the beautiful garden, which is maintained by the local community. Mark Jolley collected the award for Malahide, which saw off southside competition from Dun Laoghaoire and Sandycove & Glasthule.
Customer Service Award
In addition to regional winners a special award was presented at today’s ceremony. Dromod Station collected the special crystal steam locomotive trophy for Best Customer Service. As a key station on the Sligo line it provides customer care of the highest standards. Customers recognised this in the voting giving top marks to Dromod for customer service. David Cunningham and all the staff at Dromod were commended for their excellent customer service to all those that pass through the station; they always have a friendly smile and a helpful word knowing many of the commuters by name.
A spokesperson for Iarnród Éireann said “We are delighted that so many customers took the opportunity to vote in this year’s Best Station Awards. By encouraging keen competition between stations, we can raise the standards of customer care at all stations for the benefit of everyone who travels with us.”
Roll of Honour
Overall Best Station – Dundalk
Best Munster Station – Millstreet
Highly Commended – Mallow, Templemore
Best Connacht Station – Westport
Highly Commended – Ballina, Dromod
Best Leinster Station – Dundalk
Highly Commended – Mullingar, Carlow
Best DART Station – Malahide
Highly Commended – Sandycove Glasthule, Dun Laoghaire
Best Commuter Station – Hazelhatch
Highly Commended – Arklow, Balbriggan
Best Customer Service – Dromod
Voting was conducted through an online poll and voting at stations, with almost 4,000 people voting as part of the competition. Customers were asked to rate their station under the following criteria; Customer Information, Station Appearance and Staff Helpfulness. The votes were cast earlier this year.
The Iarnród Éireann Best Station Awards reward excellence in customer facilities, cleanliness, innovation and customer service in the country’s 144 railway stations.
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