The RailStaff Awards 2024

Nominations for Train Driver of the Year

Tim Brawn

Said the following about John Zabernik - **HAS LEFT**:

“John Zabernik for Driver of the Year? We say definitely YES. A finer example of a professional driver you could not wish to meet.

John epitomises everything that you could want from a Driver. Smart, polite, professional, ambitious the list goes on. But, the major passion of John’s is his love of the iconic HST & as a valued member of the 125group John is regularly be found tending to the prototype HST at the Great Central Railway (Nth) His passion for driving became even more clear when John became an integral part of the organising team for what turned out to be a mammoth weekend of fundraising. The “Bound for Craigy “HST tour which raised an amazing £45000 for charity. John attended several meetings in his own time before the event where his operational experience was invaluable. During the event John was at the heart of the operation ensuring that all went smoothly throughout the trip. It’s fair to say without John’s passion for his job the tour would not have been the success it was

Johns Driver Manager at VTEC Said

“John is a true professional and a gentleman. He is someone who goes the extra mile when asked to carry out his duties. I have managed John for 5 years and worked as a colleague for more than 10 years. He is always positive and has a great passion for how he does his role. He strives for perfection and is an enormous assets to the VTEC driving grade in Leeds. John has a wealth of operational knowledge and practical experience. He progressed from Control duty manager to pursue his passion of becoming a train driver something that has been our gain and others loss. He has contributed out of his full time role in helping others less fortunate in helping charities. Always one to volunteer to do anything to prevent cancellations and damage to the business“