09 July 2026 •
Rail operator c2c Railway has been awarded Investors in People’s “Gold” accreditation, marking an important step up from its previous Silver award, and recognising the organisation’s continued commitment to leadership, people management and employee development.
Investors in People is a globally recognised accreditation, that celebrates organisations where strong values, culture and commitment to people are not only stated ambitions but are genuinely experienced by colleagues across the business. Its Gold accreditation is a prestigious independent benchmark that places c2c among the top tier of employers assessed by Investors in People.
This achievement is particularly impressive given the significant progress c2c has made in recent years, including its transition to Department for Transport ownership and a period of organisational transformation. The assessment found improvement across all nine Investors in People indicators since 2022, with especially strong progress in creating sustainable success, continuous improvement, building capability and recognising performance.
Investors in People Assessor, Bruce McRae, said:
“c2c has shown considerable and sustained commitment to the Investors in People ethos of striving for high performance by empowering, developing and motivating their colleagues.
“To step up from Silver to Gold accreditation is impressive for any organisation. To achieve this following the change to nationalisation [in the rail industry] and alongside the integration activity with Greater Anglia and Network Rail is little short of extraordinary; and bears testimony to c2c’s leadership and colleagues.”
Greater Anglia also achieved Investors in People Gold accreditation in October 2024, underlining the shared commitment across GBR Anglia to support and develop its people.
c2c’s Interim HR Director Gemma Arnold, said:
“We are delighted to have achieved Investors in People Gold accreditation. The report highlights many strengths we should be proud of including visible and approachable leadership, strong learning and development opportunities, a culture of trust and empowerment, and high levels of pride, loyalty and retention across the business.
“It also recognises the progress we have made in employee engagement, attendance, passenger growth and community relationships, while maintaining our focus on being a safe, customer-focused and efficient operator.
“While Gold is a significant achievement, its greatest value may be in the insight it provides for the next stage of our evolution. As we begin our journey as GBR Anglia, the assessment gives us a clear, independent view of where we are today and where we should focus our efforts to build an aligned, high-performing culture across the region.”
The accreditation follows input from colleagues across c2c through the Investors in People survey and assessment process, which took place earlier this year.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
Anglia’s journey towards Great British Railways
Anglia’s integrated railway brings together the leadership of c2c, Greater Anglia and Network Rail Anglia under a single, unified structure.
This new structure is part of wider plans to create Great British Railways (GBR), bringing track and train closer together to deliver a better, more joined-up railway for customers and communities in Anglia.
The structure is designed to support closer operational coordination across infrastructure, train services and customer delivery.
Existing ticketing and customer arrangements remain unchanged, and customers will continue to see the current company identities as the railway transitions towards GBR.
The Anglia route serves a fast-growing region, connecting commuters, leisure travellers, ports, power stations and more, as well as Stansted and Southend airports.
About c2c
- c2c is the award-winning train operator running services between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness, serving 26 stations in East London and South Essex.
- c2c is one of the UK’s most punctual and popular train operators and nearly 37.3 million journeys are made on its services every year.
- The operation of all c2c services transferred into public ownership on Sunday 20 July 2025 and is managed by DFTO (DfT Operator Ltd).
- For more information email mediaenquiries@c2crail.net
About DFTO
- DFTO is the government’s public sector rail owning group. Its purpose is to bring all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership in advance of the creation of Great British Railways in 2027.
- The group’s current train operating companies are: c2c, Greater Anglia, LNER, Northern, Southeastern, South Western Railway, GTR, TransPennine Express and WM Trains (London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway).
About Investors in People
Investors in People is an independent accreditation that assesses how organisations lead, support and develop their people. Gold accreditation recognises organisations that demonstrate excellent people management practices and a strong commitment to continuous improvement.
Images
Featured Image: (l-r) Office Coordinator Lindsey Keeling, Head of Learning and Development Kerry Brewer and HR Business Partner Louise Livesay.