Holdham Group recognised for customer service excellence as inspirational 23-year-old Chief Executive Luke Allan Holmes is shortlisted for outstanding personal contribution
A rapidly growing County Durham rail business has been shortlisted for two of the railway industry’s most prestigious national awards.
Holdham Group has been named as a finalist in the Customer Service Excellence category at the National Rail Awards 2026, while its Chief Executive, Luke Allan Holmes, has been shortlisted for the Outstanding Personal Contribution to the Rail Industry Award.
The personal recognition represents an extraordinary achievement for Mr Holmes, who is just 23 years old and has already led Holdham Group through a period of significant growth, transformation and adversity.
Founded from a small independent ticket office at Bishop Auckland railway station, Holdham Group has grown significantly and now delivers national premium dining trains, major rail experiences and THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride Edinburgh.
The County Durham-based business has expanded rapidly while remaining proud of its roots in Bishop Auckland.
The National Rail Awards celebrate excellence, innovation and achievement across Britain’s railway and are widely regarded as among the industry’s highest honours.
Luke Allan Holmes, Chief Executive Officer of Holdham Group, said:
“To be shortlisted for two National Rail Awards is an extraordinary honour for everyone at Holdham Group.
“The Customer Service Excellence nomination belongs to our entire team. It reflects the care, professionalism and determination shown by colleagues across the business, from those serving customers directly to the teams working behind the scenes to make everything possible.
“I am personally deeply honoured to have been shortlisted for Outstanding Personal Contribution. To receive that recognition from the rail industry at just 23 years old is incredibly humbling and difficult to put into words.
“I am proud of what I have achieved, but nothing I have done has been done alone. It has been made possible by an exceptional team, a supportive Board and the many partners who have believed in our vision and supported our growth.
“We have developed from operating a little ticket office in Bishop Auckland into a growing national rail business delivering premium dining trains, large-scale events and THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride Edinburgh.
“We are moving quickly, but our ambition is much greater still. We want to demonstrate that a nationally significant railway business can be built from County Durham, create opportunities for local people and give the North East a strong voice throughout the industry.”
The double shortlisting follows an exceptionally significant period for Holdham Group.
The Group operates Bishop Trains, the independent rail ticket office at Bishop Auckland railway station, alongside its national rail excursion, premium dining and event operations.
Bishop Trains has undergone a major turnaround following the death of its Managing Director, David Million, in October 2025.
Mr Holmes stepped into the leadership of the business when Mr Million was taken into hospital and guided colleagues through the immediate period of grief and uncertainty following his death.
The ticket office reopened later that month and has since returned to profitability, achieved record sales and transformed the standard of service provided to passengers in Bishop Auckland and the surrounding area.
Jack Purdham, Chief Operating Officer of Holdham Group, said:
“Luke’s shortlisting for Outstanding Personal Contribution is an exceptional and thoroughly deserved achievement.
“He is an inspiration to those of us who work alongside him and to young people who want to build a career in the railway industry or create something of their own.
“At just 23, Luke has demonstrated a level of ambition, resilience and leadership that would be remarkable at any stage of someone’s career. He has led the business through grief, uncertainty and extraordinary growth while never losing sight of the people who depend upon him.
“Luke inspires people to believe that more is possible. His energy and determination have transformed Holdham from a small Bishop Auckland business into a growing national organisation with serious ambitions for the future.
“He sets an exceptionally high standard, leads from the front and is relentless in his desire to create opportunities for our colleagues, customers and communities.
“Everyone at Holdham Group is enormously proud of him. This recognition is richly deserved and reflects the extraordinary contribution he has already made to the railway industry.”
The Customer Service Excellence shortlisting recognises the work undertaken across Holdham Group to strengthen service standards, improve the customer journey and place passengers at the centre of the business.
Chloe Lye, Customer Experience Manager at Holdham Group, said:
“This shortlisting means an enormous amount to the whole team because of the hard work that has gone into transforming the level of service we provide.
“We have reviewed the entire customer experience, strengthened our standards and worked incredibly hard to ensure passengers receive a professional, welcoming and personal service at every stage of their journey with us.
“That transformation has involved colleagues across the whole business. It includes our frontline teams, customer support, operational colleagues and everyone working behind the scenes to resolve problems and deliver memorable experiences.
“Our people genuinely care about our customers. They regularly go above and beyond, whether they are helping someone at Bishop Trains, supporting passengers before a journey or delivering service aboard one of our premium dining trains.
“To see that hard work recognised nationally is an incredibly proud moment. It shows how far we have come, but it also motivates us to continue improving and to set an even higher standard for the future.”
Holdham Group has continued to develop relationships with major organisations throughout the railway industry while expanding its programme of excursions, dining trains and licensed rail experiences.
Mr Holmes added:
“This recognition is also a tribute to David Million and the legacy he left behind.
“The past year has been incredibly difficult and emotional. Reopening Bishop Trains, supporting our colleagues and continuing to grow the business through that period required an enormous collective effort.
“I know David would have been immensely proud of the team and of what the business he cared so deeply about is becoming.
“Whatever happens at the ceremony, being shortlisted in both categories is a remarkable endorsement of our people, our progress and our potential.
“This County Durham business is going places – and it is going places quickly.”
The winners will be revealed at the National Rail Awards ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London, on Thursday, September 17, 2026.
