STAFF at a New Forest railway station are celebrating after reaching the finals of the National Rail Awards.

Brockenhurst Station, which provides services to Bournemouth, Poole, Southampton, London, was recognised as a leading medium-sized station after being nominated by community rail groups, Network Rail, Transport Focus and a panel of industry experts.

All nominated stations were visited by judges and assessed on a number of factors including safety, infrastructure and customer-friendly presentation.

David Lightfoot, station manager for Brockenhurst, said: “We were delighted to be nominated for the award and reaching the final was a special moment.

"We’re very proud to have been recognised in front of our peers and to get the opportunity to share ideas with other stations teams from around the country.

"Hopefully next year we’ll bring the top prize back to the New Forest.”

South Western Railway’s Regional Manager for the West region, Tom Marshall, said: “Everyone takes a real pride in the station’s appearance and so reaching the final of the National Rail Awards is testament to the team’s hard work.”