Celebrating a Career of Impact: Andrew Pennington Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
At the inaugural Rail Industry Planning Awards— known as the Golden Planners— held in Manchester on 25 March 2025, the rail industry gathered to celebrate innovation, excellence and contribution in train planning.
Among the evening’ s most memorable moments was the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Andrew Pennington, a respected figure whose dedication has helped shape the future of operational planning.
Currently working as Operations and Planning Projects Specialist supporting CIRO and Avanti West Coast, Andrew was recognised for a career spanning more than three decades— during which he has played a central role in developing planning strategy, mentoring colleagues and raising professional standards across the industry. The award was presented by Mark Hopwood CBE, Managing Director of Great Western Railway and CIRO Board Member, who praised Andrew’ s lasting influence:
“ It was a great honour to be invited to speak at the conference, as well as being asked to present this special Lifetime Achievement Award to Andrew Pennington. Andrew has been recognised for decades of commitment not only to the train planning discipline but also for his significant role in developing train planners over many years – a richly deserved accolade!”
Andrew’ s extensive experience includes senior roles across South Western Railway, Great Western Railway, Silverlink, Southeastern, and Merseyrail. His time as Head of Planning at the South Western Railway Alliance saw him lead train and access planning through complex operational environments, balancing capacity and performance with commercial efficiency.
Today, through his work with CIRO, Andrew continues to champion the development of training that meets the operational realities of the modern rail network. His efforts reflect
CIRO’ s values; professional and accountable, knowledgeable, collaborative, inclusive, member foused and innovative, as he helps shape industry-wide learning that empowers planners at every stage of their career.“ Andrew’ s understanding of the challenges facing train planners, coupled with his strategic insight and passion for professional development, has made him an invaluable contributor to the industry,” said CIRO CEO Phil Sherratt, who also attended the event and presented the Practitioner of the Year Award.
Recognising Professional Excellence
CIRO’ s presence and support at the Golden Planners reflects our ongoing commitment to recognising excellence across all areas of rail operations. Events like this help reinforce our mission: to lead, inspire and accelerate the growth of rail professionals, cultivating collaboration to support the success of rail organisations, now and in the future.
Andrew’ s award is not only a personal honour, but also a celebration of the train planning profession as a whole. His dedication to mentoring and supporting emerging talent exemplifies CIRO’ s belief in inclusive, member-focused development, and we are proud to have him as part of the team shaping our operational future.
Please join us in congratulating Andrew on this well-deserved recognition.
14 CIRO | Bulletin 55