WORKERS at troubled train-maker Bombardier have achieved a hat-trick of awards which recognise the reliability of their work.

Trains made by the Litchurch Lane firm won three accolades at the Golden Spanner Awards.

The ceremony, regarded as the industry equivalent of the Oscars, is organised by Modern Railways Magazine.

The success comes as a welcome morale boost to the firm's workforce, which faces an uncertain future after the company missed out on the £1.4 billion Thameslink rail contract.

As a result of missing out on the Government deal to German manufacturer Siemens, Bombardier is carrying out a full review of its UK operations, which includes Litchurch Lane and maintenance depots up and down the country, such as Central Rivers, near Burton.

At the awards, which took place in London, Bombardier scooped two golden spanners for being the best in class.

It also won a silver spanner for most improved fleet.

The awards are based on data from national statistics and are regarded by the industry as being an accurate assessment of train fleet reliability.

Paul Roberts, Bombardier's UK president of Services and Passenger Fleet Management Service Line, praised workers at Litchurch Lane and the company's maintenance teams across the country.

He said: "These awards endorse the quality of our products and the outstanding dedication of our teams around the UK in supporting them.

"We are delighted that our contribution is being recognised by our customers, the industry and is ultimately benefiting the travelling public."

At the awards, Intercity 125 trains and the Class 158 diesel multiple units, both built at Bombardier's Derby site, received gold category awards for best in class reliability.

Bombardier's Class 171 Turbostars also won the Silver Spanner in their category for the fleet which recovers fastest after an incident.

Rail journalist Roger Ford, who presented the awards, said: "These awards recognise the hard work of the men and women in the depots who keep the daily railway running."

Bombardier's success at the Golden Spanner Awards comes hot on the heels of the company receiving a Manufacturing Excellence Award from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers in recognition of its commitment to training and development.

The workforce are now waiting to see if the company will keep Litchurch Lane open.

Bombardier is currently in the running for two contracts that could tide the firm over until the next major government contract – the £1 billion Crossrail deal – comes along.

Announcements on whether the firm has secured the £200 million Southern Railway contract to build 130 Electrostar carriages and a £127 million deal to build extra carriages for hybrid Voyager trains are expected soon.