An issue dominating the headlines in the early part of this year has of course been the war in Ukraine. Ukraine's own railway has been doing a fantastic job moving people and goods while all this has been going on, but our own railway has also lent a helping hand. In February 2022, as the number of displaced Ukrainians started to grow rapidly, a group of volunteers joined forces to take action to provide much-needed aid. Inspired by the Train for Life' which transported essential supplies to the people of Kosovo back in 1999, volunteers from across the rail industry came together to organise the UK's first humanitarian aid train to help those suffering and displaced by the conflict in Eastern Europe. This initiative, in response to a one-off crisis, prompted the judges to present a one-off Special Award to recognise the cross-industry effort of UK Rail for Ukraine. In just five weeks the volunteers involved sourced millions of essential items, which were loaded onto 24 containers and departed to Ukraine from London on 7 April. This was a phenomenal logistical exercise that required real drive, energy and commitment from all those involved.
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