Rail Person of the Year

Name: Steve Rees
Job title: Fleet Director
Company: C2C
Location: Old Street

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
“Steve is my mentor on the ATOC APEDS grad scheme. He takes an interest in my development, and has been a great deal of support over my training period, more so than just a mentor who signs your report every three months and that’s the job done. An example of this is when we were talking about treadplates, which he likened to the Chemical Brothers song. Or when he explained the workings of a maintenance depot in the form of the ‘Kooks tour.’ My favourite has been when I started my first job out of my two years training, and was able to relate to my experiences of painting a curtain display at 10 at night, or other odd jobs that fall on the lap of a young recruit, and he told me of when he had to source soap dishes in one of his earlier roles. His ability to advise and share his professional experience, in the aim to help develop others, of which I have seen him do not just with myself, definitely makes him a fine candidate for rail personality of the year!”

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"You won’t meet a better guy who listens and develops workers".

Date of event: 30-3-10

Name: Shahinur Ali
Job title: Customer Service Assistant
Company: London Underground Limited
Location: Edgware Station, Northern Line.

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
“Shahinur has only been with the company for a few years but his dedication is tremendous. He has never had a day-off work, is charitable to staff and customers, very approachable and cheerful and knows most staff using the station and many customers by name.

He is good company, with a can-do positive attitude and always willing to learn. He stands by his colleagues in difficult times, is willing to stay-on to help after his shift if needed, will swap shifts to help his colleagues, will offer to give a lift to staff who lives on his way to his home, he has taken distressed customers home with permission after the last trains have left and is always finding different ways and solutions to help customers with travel information.

He also has impressive technical knowledge which he will gladly impart to any member of staff having difficulty with I.T or mobile phone and other communication equipment. He will always offer to run errands when he has his break and is very knowledgeable of the shops and other businesses on the high street.

Shahinur has and will go above and beyond his role as last year he volunteered in the 'CSA buddy program' to give work experience to people with disabilities and his role was that of a coach.

He is currently a facilitator in the 'Valuing Time' seminars which is a company wide initiative and which required special training. He will sometime do this in his own time. Shahinur is an excellent communicator and very passionate about his work and loyal to the organisation and he has impressed Service Managers and Trains Performance Managers with whom he worked with during efforts in the heavy snowfall last winter to keep the train service running.

I am grateful to work with and have this opportunity to nominate 'the lovely Shah' as he is known and i wish that he gets the recognition he deserves”.

Date of event: 20-8-10

Name: Chris Benson
Job title: Station Manager
Company: Northern Rail
Location: Tyne, Tees and Wear

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
"Chris Benson is Station Manager for the Tyne, Tees and Wear area. Earlier this year, the station manager for Teesside moved to a new role, leaving Chris to look after the whole North area alone, from Whitby on one side of the country to Carlisle on the other. Faced with this prospect, some people would moan or complain that the doubling of the workload, even temporarily, was unacceptable. Not Chris! Relishing a tough challenge, he just got on with the job of managing a total of 70 staff and 62 stations, spread across three large counties. And while he was at it, he still continued to deliver outstanding projects, including:

Refurbishment of Hartlepool, Seaton Carew and Sunderland Stations

He project-managed the refurbishment of Hartlepool and Seaton Carew stations - both were six-figure investments and had to be ready in time for the Tall Ships race in early August and then, as if they weren’t enough, project-managed the multi-million pound refurbishment of Sunderland station as well.

Hartlepool Tall Ships Race 7-10 August 2010

He was also instrumental in planning for the Hartlepool Tall Ships race, by far the region’s largest event for a number of years with over half-a-million visitors over the course of four days. And to make sure those plans were effective, he worked 12-hour shifts each day, helping customers, offering disabled assistance, making tea for staff, cleaning toilets and emptying bins – in short, anything to help. A customer was so impressed by the effort he put into keeping the station welcoming for customers, she insisted on sending a letter of commendation to the area manager.

Community Rail

Chris doesn’t only get involved in big events – he’s equally at home with small groups. He knows all the station adopters and rail user groups in the area, and helps volunteers brighten up stations with planters and artwork. His next local project is to convert two signal boxes for use by community groups.

His colleagues within Northern have witnessed his commitment and cheerful disposition first-hand, but his dedication and enthusiasm have also impressed his many stakeholders so it’s over to a couple of them for some final words of praise for Chris:

Robert Whitehouse, BA, Chartered FCIPD, FCMI
Community Rail Officer - the Bishop Line writes:

I first met Chris Benson shortly after my appointment to the role of Community Rail Officer for the Bishop Line. Chris being responsible for the stations on my line as Station Manager for ‘Northern’ Chris was extremely helpful from my first meeting wanting to help in any way he could. He pointed out clearly the station adoption schemes and give very useful advice as to whom to contact within Northern and the wider rail community. He then assisted me in getting ideas for station adoption and examples of places from where I could find ideas. He has assisted in the Bishop Auckland Food Festival ‘manning’ a stand we had there to promote the line, he has transported rollup banners between Northern in York and myself in Darlington to avoid costs to the company and ensure safe delivery. Chris is instrumental in getting poster cases along the line to promote the line and the partnership. We have an excellent station adoption group at Bishop Auckland whom Chris has nurtured and assisted in any way he can. He has a wealth of knowledge, which he imparts when appropriate, and is always eager to help, something that you do not find so often when pressures on time and performance militate against this. He freely gives personal time to assist the improvement and promotion of the railway in addition to that time for which he is paid. If I was asked for a comment I would say Chris always goes the ‘extra mile’ to see things are done and that both the railway in general, and his employers, Northern Rail, are put in the best light possible.

However, I have left probably the most important thing to last and that is his cheerful character and happy smile, which always assists when dealing with fellow human beings!


Angie Thirkill
Development Manager
Esk Valley Railway Development Company writes:

I would like to nominate Chris Benson for an award because the work he does for and on behalf of Northern within the community is worth honouring.
In representing Northern, he is an ideal ambassador. I have been privileged to attend community meetings with him and he always engenders good relationships with stakeholders. His example of calm, together with his listening skills is excellent. People want to know how much you care before they care how much you know. Presenting a public face to the community stakeholders is never easy. Chris always manages to let them air their concerns without ever patronising their lack of knowledge regarding the complexities of the rail industry.
From a Community Rail point of view, I have known Chris since I commenced work in 2003 with Esk Valley Railway, first as an assistant and latterly as a manager. Community Rail Officers come from all walks of life with varying degrees of knowledge about all things appertaining to rail. Chris has guided me through the vagaries of track access, franchise agreements, performance and planning, station facilities etc. He has introduced me to the relevant members of Northern, specific to the problems I have encountered. His experience has proved invaluable and the information he has provided has served me well. He has supported me in my role of manager in a myriad of ways, particularly providing a calming influence throughout my rantings about the lack of progress we all have to endure at one time or another. He is an excellent teacher, though he probably may not realise it. He leads by example.
Chris has provided a never-to-be underestimated continuum throughout my experience of dealing with community rail. There have been many changes, from franchise changes to personnel changes. All these are a fact of life but nevertheless can be unsettling for all concerned. Adaptation is a given in this modern world but it is vital that there is always someone who is able to provide a stability and Chris has always provided that.
Chris is one of those rare people who is able to pour oil on troubled waters, who can be relied on to solve problems when confronted with issues. Those of us privileged to work alongside him, would, I am sure, echo the sentiment that he is, above all, a team player. He is also very reliable. If he says he can attend a meeting, he does.
I have no hesitation in recommending Chris for an award to honour his outstanding contribution to Northern. He certainly deserves the recognition".

Date of event: 19-8-10

Name: Neil Buxton
Job title: General Manager
Company: ACoRP
Location: across the country

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
“Constantly cheerful, enthusiastic determined and helpful he leads a small dedicated team who achieve success beyond their number in bringing new life to local lines and encouraging greater effectiveness and use of our community rail lines through CRP partnerships around the country. The work has brought added value and increased ridership.

Demonstrated and typified by the promotion and recognition of the practical, geographical, health, travel, social and economic benefits of promoting local rail travel through seminars to partnership officers, e.g. 8th June”.

Date of event: 8-6-10

Name: Martin Cannon
Job title: Training Manager
Company: Bridgen Training Ltd
Location: West Horndon Essex

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
“Martin Cannon joined British Rail in the early eighties starting as a basic trackman, his enthusiasm and hard work soon got him promoted to track chargeman running a difficult 22 man gang and within a year the reputation of his gang became first class and he was promoted up to section supervisor. Martin’s skill is in communication and a willingness to work “out of the box” to encourage strengths in others, he held courses after work for the workers to enable them to obtain their First Aid Certificates and always encouraged others to gain extra certifications that could help them with their careers.

When a training position became available at the BR training centre, this was a natural progression and he became one of the youngest trainers on BR, whilst still working as a supervisor at weekends to keep his skills and knowledge updated.

When the railway became privatised, Martin Cannon formed Cannon Training Ltd which quickly became a highly respected training centre and won him Railtrack Training Provider of the Year and individually Trainer of the Year. Over the next few years Martin worked closely with Network Rail and the ARTP helping devise and set up Rail Plant, Track Safety Plans, 3rd Rail Isolations and Overhead lines. He is a member of the IOSH Railway Interest Group, is NEBOSH and has just completed NVQ level 4 in Occupational Health and Safety and has also assisted the office of Rail Regulators and the Rail Accident/Incident Board with advice and information.

For the past 3 years Martin has been running Bridgen Training Ltd once again bringing this training school up to the highest level and constantly investing and promoting in Health and Safety on the railway. This year Martin has been asked to visit Saudi Arabia to promote and help them with railway safety training and after a request form the Colombian Government spent 10 days with Gerry Prendergast running a 10 day course for engineers to enable them to make their railway more safe and efficient. The significant things he achieved this year was the Colombian's Chief Engineer from Fenoco who stated that this training was the best course his engineers had undertaken and that it would make their lines safer, more efficient and last longer. Also is promoting railway safety training throughout Saudi Arabia for work to be undertaken next year.

Martin Cannon deserves this Award for his work within the railway industry as he has worked his way tirelessly through every spectrum of the Railway and his work with Railway Safety. His enthusiasm and commitment to Health and Safety and his dedication to the Railway Infrastructure makes him an ideal candidate and a worthwhile nominee as he is noted by all who know him for his patience, attention to detail and a commitment to getting things right”.

Date of event: 28-5-10

Name: Wayne Whitlow
Job title: Duty Station Manager
Company: Northern Rail
Location: Manchester Victoria

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
The team at Manchester Victoria would like to nominate Wayne Whitlow, Station Manager, for the Rail Person of the Year award.

"Wayne is approachable, friendly, helpful and fun to be around. In his work, he is dedicated to his job and to customers but most of all he is dedicated to his staff and regularly goes above and beyond the call of duty to make sure each and every one of us is happy and that we have everything we need to do our jobs professionally.

Every day he checks to make sure that everything is running as smoothly as can be. But when things aren’t going smoothly, Wayne really shines.

This year has seen many difficult circumstances for Manchester Victoria staff, including several fatalities, numerous cable thefts and frequent signal failures, all of which have caused major disruptions to the rail service for customers.

To help us meet our customers’ needs in these situations, Wayne always works tirelessly to keep us all up to date, organising our team and collecting all the information we need to keep customers and train crew informed, as well as making sure the rail replacement buses are ready. But he will also make sure he is visible to customers, helping out wherever and whenever he can, whatever the request. In winter months he even organises vouchers for hot drinks and makes sure the customers have somewhere warm to wait.

When the disruption is over he makes time to thank each member of platform staff individually for their efforts, which is greatly appreciated by the whole team.

But he doesn’t stop there!

Wayne will pick up staff in his own time in his own vehicle to help people get to work on time if someone is struggling.

He will drop us off after his shift, going out of his way to make sure we get home safely.

Customers all agree he is fantastic, that nothing is too much trouble for him.

And some final comments from his team:

‘I have learnt so much from him since I became a member of Northern Rail.’

‘I think he deserves this award as you can always approach him at any time with any problem and he will do his utmost to help you.’

‘I think for him to be recognised for this award would be a real honour for Wayne and the customer service team at Manchester Victoria. ‘

Manchester Victoria Platform Staff
Unice Hussain, Andrew Tonge, Kev Hall, Sharon Adams, Pete Connolly, Matt Greenhalgh, Ian Helliar, Glenn Bradley, Sarah Burke, Keith Farmer, Lee Cairns, Neil Thompson, Geoff Barker, Mark Fletcher, Anthony Hargreaves, Phil Smith & Tim Robinson.

Date of event: 12-8-10

Name: Lisa Watson
Job title: Retail Team Leader
Company: Virgin Trains
Location: Runcorn

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
"I wish to nominate Lisa Watson Retail Team Leader at Runcorn for an award.

We have just had a new car park built and a new payment system installed, we should have had professional trainers arranged to come to site to train all the staff, but sadly they failed to provide the service, this left us with a mountain to climb in respect of getting all the staff trained in three days prior to opening.

Lisa not only continued with her own job but managed to gain information about the car parking system adequate enough to arrange training for everyone which included 12 other members of staff. She also lent support by working till midnight due to sickness to support the Platform Team which isn't part of her job.

Lisa has been a fantastic ambassador, she leads by example every single day, she makes me proud to have her in my team and I have had numerous comments from other staff with the same sentiment that she has been fantastic, and on top of this her job has been done to the very highest standard".

Date of event: 11-8-10

Name: Tom Chung
Job title: Train Manager
Company: Virgin Trains
Location: Edinburgh

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
I am writing to tell you a story about my experience of a train journey where a Virgin employee, Tom Chung really did go that extra mile. I was travelling from Stockport to Glasgow Central after a meeting and changed trains at Lancaster- Boarding at 17.55. I believe the train ID number was 1s78 15.30 Euston. Ten minutes later, I realised I had left a folder at Lancaster station with some really important papers inside. I asked the Train Manager, Tom Chung, if he happened to have the number for the station so I could phone about it. Instead of giving me the number, Tom phoned Lancaster station who advised the folder had not been handed in so he gave me the Customer Relations number for Virgin. When I phoned it they told me they did not cover Lancaster Station and gave me the number for National Rail enquiries, who then gave me another number relating to lost property but were only open 9am to 5pm. Just as I was thinking I would have to wait until the next day to follow this up, Tom came back to see how I had got on. When I explained I had had no luck, he asked me exactly what numbers I was given and what was said. He said this wasn't good enough then proceeded to phone Lancaster Station again just in case it had been found. It had! Tom then went to the trouble of finding out what time the next train was through Lancaster to Glasgow, who the Train Manager was and proceeded to contact her to ask her to look out for the folder which the staff at Lancaster would pass on. If that wasn't customer service at its finest, he then introduced me to Gerry, the Virgin supervisor (I think) who was on duty at Glasgow Central so I knew who to come and see when the train came in with my folder. To my delight and huge relief, I got the folder back last night thanks to the best customer service I have ever had. I make no apologies for the long winded account of this story as I feel this has to be shared. I can't commend Tom Chung enough- he is a credit to Virgin Trains and indeed the brand. I will definitely be using Virgin Trains again".
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"Thank you for your letter expressing concern about my unfortunate incident and I am pleased to report that my leg is healing well, though extremely painful it has been. I believe my injury would have been far worse if it hadn't been for the Train Manager, Tom (with regret I can’t remember his surname but he was onboard the Glasgow - Euston service). His swift actions helped to alleviate my embarrassment, anxiety and pain. Please could you thank Tom immensely for his assistance and reassurance? I didn't tell him I was a nurse; there was no need to as he was extremely professional in his dealing of first aid. In fact I would have trusted him with my life!! I only hope that next time I have an unfortunate incident that Tom in around. Please pass on my sincere gratitude to him and wish him well for the future. Virgin Trains are lucky to have him on board”

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"We had severe disruption at Lancaster and Preston. Tom's train was terminated at Lancaster, he stayed trainside helping people off, taking particular care of a family with as wheelchair user. Once his train had emptied and been despatched to where ever it was going Tom stayed on the platform. We had no information to give the hundreds of people who were trying to get North and South but Tom stayed with people constantly reassuring them that they would be told as soon as we had information to give them. There were some really difficult and upset customers but Tom remained polite, and upbeat throughout. The team at Lancaster were very grateful for his help as was I'.

Date of event: 24-6-10

Name: Dave Egerton
Job title: Driver
Company: Virgin Trains
Location: Manchester Piccadilly

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
Dave Egerton is a Driver based at Manchester. He started on the railway in 1980 as a messenger at Crewe. He then went on to work in Wrenbury signal box in 1982. In 1984 he made the move to the footplate and started as a Drivers assistant at Crewe, he passed out as a Driver in 1986 at Warrington. Dave moved back to Crewe as a Driver in 1990 and came to work for Virgin Trains at Manchester in 1998.

In his 25 years as a Driver, Dave has had many varying experiences but as all drivers will tell you one of the worst experiences you can encounter is a fatality, he has had the misfortune of being involved in three in a short period of time. As his Driver Team Manager I have attended the Coroners Court with Dave and as in all case it is an upsetting time for the Driver, having to meet the family of the bereaved and finding out about the person that was killed.

During a working group I asked Dave if he would be interested in getting involved with helping drivers returning to work following fatalities. Being involved in a fatality can have a long lasting effect on a Driver and most simply put it behind them and get on with the daily task of delivering a safe journey for the travelling public, Dave however agreed to use his experience to help other drivers who have been involved in fatalities and far from putting it behind him he actively set out to contact these Drivers and offer both support and advice.

Dave has given his time freely to the cause of helping other Drivers and in most cases he either gives them his home number to contact him or he goes and visits the Driver in person. Support and advice is given from a Driver’s local manager but the support given by Dave has proven invaluable and in all cases Drivers have commented that they have benefited from Dave’s advice and re-assurance. I asked Dave why he did what he does. Dave said “it’s a horrible thing to have to experience a fatality and I am just happy to help with the process of being involved in a fatality to returning to work. I asked Dave what are the main concerns that drivers have when they have been involved in a fatality. Dave replied “Drivers are unsure of what to expect, how they will feel and what happens at the coroner’s court. They ask what happens when they return to work and I give them my experience of when I was involved in the fatalities I had. It’s just a different perspective from that of a DTM or LLC rep. Here are some comments from Manchester Drivers that have had the misfortune of being involved in fatalities but have been fortunate enough to have had the added support of a fellow Driver who is willing to go the extra mile in support of his colleagues.

“Having been unfortunate enough to have been involved in a fatality Dave took the time to ring me two or three times a week. His cheery manner helped pick me up and he gave me advise on what to expect along the way, all this in his free time. Dave is a credit to Virgin and a friend to his colleagues".

“After a long six months of trying to recover from my incident in work, I believe it wouldn't have been possible without the support of my work colleagues, managers and family. There was one person who was extremely helpful in rebuilding of confidence, and that was Driver Dave Edgerton. After Dave heard what had happened to me, he contacted me to see if I would like a coffee and a friendly chat about my experience, I went round to his house and he made me very welcome, and after a few hours, he made me realise that the incident wasn't as bad I was thinking, he gave me the confidence, and positive thinking process that I needed, it was a very informal and constructive visit, I'm very grateful for the friendly chat. I’ve known Dave for over five years since joining virgin trains, and in that time found him to be not only a good friend but a very good mentor in these circumstances; he has a natural ability to relax you and be reassuring with his words. I would recommend anyone who finds themselves in a similar situation to have a chat with Dave.”

"I had a fatality and soon afterwards Dave contacted me with words of reassurance and advice of what to do and what to expect in the coming weeks. He said he was always available if I needed to talk. Dave is a respected colleague and a thoughtful guy”.

“Dave phones you up after a couple of days (after the dust has settled) and firstly asks you how you are and what happened. He then tells you what to expect, how you will feel and for how long. He tells you what to expect from the police and courts if you have to attend and what to expect from your Driver Managers in respect of help and support. Most importantly he tells you of his experiences, he is a Driver talking to another Driver. He keeps in touch at least once a week and tells you his phone is always on if you need to talk".

Date of event: 24-6-10

Name: Andrew Partington
Job title: Train Mangager
Company: Virgin Trains
Location: Manchester Piccadilly

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
'I would like to nominate Train Manager Andy Partington at Manchester for an award.

Following the introduction of VHF (our increased timetable of services), Andy noticed a trend of many customers living in the Huddersfield area starting to travel via Manchester, instead of Leeds. Prior to the introduction of VHF the majority of journey opportunities were faster via Leeds, but post VHF most are faster via Manchester, leading to a change in travel habits.

The tickets at the time were 'any permitted' and 'Route Manchester'. The route Manchester fare is more expensive than any permitted ticket, so customers have been purchasing 'any permitted' tickets which technically aren't valid via Manchester and very little, if any, revenue from such tickets comes to Virgin Trains.

Andy's idea, knowing the local area, was to introduce a Value Advance fare range for Huddersfield to attract customers to move from the East Coast to the West Coast. The idea has since been developed by colleagues in Revenue Management and although challenging, the proposal is viable and the fare range is about to be introduced. This will deliver additional revenue to the business, which we would not have had other. Andy's idea is fantastic and shows how local knowledge can really help drive our business forward'.

Date of event: 24-6-10

Name: Nigel Stockdale
Job title: Business Development Manager
Company: Bridgeway Consulting Ltd
Location: Nottingham

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
"Nigel Stockdale joined British Rail in 1979 at the Nottingham Area Civil Engineer’s office. He joined BR from college but he immediately embraced the ethos of the office which was one of “work hard and play hard”. This is the rule which he has followed throughout his career. On the work side this led him to be an excellent railway engineer with a particular enthusiasm for bridges and on the playing side, an enthusiastic football player.

As a railway engineer he spent time in every part of the office and was probably the last Technical Officer at Nottingham to have worked in every section so he gained a thorough knowledge of Permanent Way renewals and maintenance as well as bridges and Buildings. He was responsible for many major projects, including numerous bridge reconstructions and the civil engineering work for the Leicester Re-signalling project.

He completed his time with British Rail as Infrastructure Manager, East Midlands. This job required Nigel to show his qualities as a complete engineer and manager, because he was responsible for staff across Structures; Mechanical Plant and Signalling and Telecommunications disciplines.

In December 1980 he trained as a diver and joined the famous British Rail Underwater Inspection team, distinguishing himself on inspections of Portsmouth Harbour, Ryde Pier head, Holyhead harbour and many other structures.

In 1996, Nigel was persuaded to join Bridgeway and was one of the first members of the team. Over the years he has held many posts and is now Business Development Manger, a role in which he is (as usual) excelling in. He has been instrumental in expanding the range of work that Bridgeway now undertakes. His experience and qualifications as an Engineer mean that he can ensure that all the work we take on is within the capabilities of the company and that a competent team is always appointed to undertake the work.

For many years Nigel was responsible for the Bridgeway Underwater Inspection team and during this period he expanded the examination section until it was responsible for the underwater inspection of railway bridges in over half the country as well as many highway bridges and other structures. As an inspection diver, Nigel applies his engineering knowledge to ensure that inspections fully reflect the condition of the structure and the work to be carried out. Nigel continues to maintain his diver qualifications and occasionally still gets wet.

Nigel does more than his fair share of this and most Saturday nights he can be found as a Senior PICOP on complex possessions, as job that he carries out with all his usual experience and expertise.

I have no hesitation in supporting the proposal that Nigel be made “Rail Person of the Year”. He is exactly the sort of person that the railway has always relied upon to ensure that the trains keep running. He is selfless in his application to the work and incredibly knowledgeable and skilful. Over the years, if ever an engineer has been needed on a wet Saturday night to undertake the most difficult of railway engineering tasks, then it is Nigel to whom they have turned. Bridgeway continue to turn to Nigel whenever there are challenging projects to be managed and difficult engineering problems to be resolved. I am proud to have been a colleague of Nigel’s for the last 31 years and Bridgeway is proud to have him as a Senior Manager".

Date of event: 9-8-10

Name: Samantha Davis
Job title: Rail Business Development Manager
Company: Barhale Construction Plc
Location: All 5 Network Rail Regions

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
“Sam Davis from Barhale Construction Plc has a “nothings a problem” attitude. She puts in more hours and travels more miles than anyone I know

Recently we held a networking meeting in Doncaster, Yorkshire, with an 8am start as the companies were mainly engineering firms and they like an early start and early finish. Sam lives in Watford and set off at 5am to travel the 566km round trip just to help other people in being successful in the rail industry by sharing her experiences.
She has a genuine belief in helping other people in the rail industry to make the rail industry a better safer place to work and I think she should be recognized”.

Date of event: 15-5-10

Name: Ed Forde
Job title: Planner, Access & Olympics
Company: London Underground
Location: Head Offices, 55 Broadway

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
“Hard-working, proactive and professional.
Ed's role is to plan station and lifts and escalator closures for engineering works. Ed always works hard and is approachable and cooperative with other teams and departments and always delivers his projects within tight deadlines. Ed also identifies other pieces of work that he can do. In the past year, over and above his normal duties, Ed has identified the need to maintain LUL escalators reversible in view of the Olympics and in view of station closures that occur when an escalator fails. Ed advised the senior management team that when an escalator fails, the station closes because the other escalator/s cannot be reversed into the UP position to take customers from the platform to the exit. To avoid this occurrence, it is important to ensure that all escalators are reversed. Ed has then engaged with the Maintenance and Engineers to develop a plan, written a safety case, involved all of the operations groups and proposed a plan for all station supervisors at LUL stations to reverse escalators for an hour a week to maintain them reversible. Ed devoted his energies to this project at the same time ensuring his day to day job went on as smoothly as ever. The quote "if you want a job well done, you ask a busy person" could easily be applied to Ed Forde "if you want a job well done, you ask Ed Forde".

Date of event: 4-5-10

Name: Stephen Kelly
Job title: Customer Service Advisor
Company: Transport for London
Location: Albany House SW1H 0BD

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
"Stephen’s outstanding contribution to work has shone through Transport for London (TfL) Oyster he has always provided colleagues with help on system applications, procedures and refund policies.
Stephen has been involved in many projects within Oyster and current is seconded helping out in Oyster Project Management for new system development and testing, his current role involves him designing and drafting scripts for testing, he is the main contact and lead for new testers.

Stephen’s knowledge and experience in Oyster is astonishing, his knowledge excels many colleagues that’s why most of the colleagues will approach him for his expertise and help.

I had nominated Stephen for his exceptional customer service skills for 2009 and he had reached the finals for last year, he has shown expertise and dedication to work, colleagues within Oyster have appraised him for his exceptional customer service skills and hard work.

Stephen deserves to be nominated again for this year"!

Date of event: 15-4-10

Name: Paul Chandler
Job title: Customer Service Advisor Oyster
Company: Transport for London
Location: Albany House, London SW1H 0BD

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
"Paul has been an outstanding individual at work he has always fully supported colleagues on system applications, training new colleagues on processes and policy, his collaboration skills is excellent always being a team player and helping others".

Paul’s has a very diverse experience in all fields of Oyster from call centre to back office he has played a role model to other colleagues always on time for work, hitting his targets and making sure new colleagues are trained correctly, he has also been chosen to Duty desk on many occasions taking escalations for colleagues when needed, he has always been there to provide full support whenever needed.

Date of event: 5-4-10

Name: Simon Cunningham
Job title: Train Guard
Company: East Coast
Location: Leeds

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
“Managing a depot of 62 guards is not easy, all of them with their own individual support requirements, this is where Simon comes in, he is one of our depot minder guards but he is so much more. The nature of our work takes us away from the depot for a significant amount of the week, knowing I have Simon in the depot ensuring that all the guards are up to date with equipment, publications, the latest briefing materials helps enormously. Simon is viewed has one of the guards management team not only by the two guards managers at Leeds but also by our line management structure. He has my respect and I have confidence in Simon that he bridges a much needed gap, the guards are encouraged to call us if they have any problems but we realise it's not always easy to speak with your line manager, or admit to forgetting the basics, but when Simon tells me he has dealt with a problem I don't need to know who or how, I have trust in him and know that he will have dealt with the issue in a way that suits the individual and the business, having said that Simon will also bring things to my attention if he feels or becomes aware of issues needing a more formal response or approach.

Simon has also taken responsibility for new entrants to the grade ensuring that they receive all the support they need when returning from training school, all through the structured route learning which he developed and preparing them for their competence assessments, and if they are not successful at this stage together with Simon we will create the personal development plans which Simon will be involved in delivering. He is a motivator, an encourager, someone who has a desire to see people succeed, I am pleased he has never decided to pursue a formal training role as I would be sorry to lose him and his loss would be felt significantly at the depot, however I believe it is possibly only a matter of time before we do lose him to a trainer role has this is where his true passions lie.

He has been actively involved with the introduction of the new ticket issuing systems and electronic information channels, he is enthusiastic in assisting us with guards safety and training briefings, Simon was also instrumental is developing a depot familiarisation package for the local stabling point”.

Date of event: 30-3-10

Name: Helen Mason
Job title: Regional support assistant
Company: East Coast
Location: London Kings Cross

Why they should be this years rail person of the year?
"To call Helen a support assistant does not do her justice, Helen is the very heart of the ops south management team, a motivator co-ordinator, when anything needs arranging, any equipment or publications need to be sourced for ourselves or our teams she quickly gets on with the job finds what we need each and every time, Helen is one of the management team in all but name, the team could not function has efficiently has it does without her, she also finds time not only to support the guards and driver managers teams but always makes herself available to the staff at the depot whether customer facing or office based, Since moving to London from York Helen has quickly established herself has someone who can be trusted and relied upon whenever you need her, not my job does not enter her vocabulary. When we've had difficulty pulling together a daily roster for both Leeds and London guards Helen took up the challenge and with very little experience in this area got the job done, this was in addition to and not instead of her already busy workload. During times of disruption and during engineering work weekends Helen can often be found helping out the station team and assisting passengers at Grantham her local East Coast station, she simply has a true desire to help and assist wherever she can, she is a truly kind and good hearted person who is a pleasure to work along side, she often works very long hours and continues to work from home to ensure the job gets done. A few more like Helen please".

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"Helen is a real gem. She has a unequivocal can do attitude, nothing is ever to much trouble, real quite the opposite and Helen often takes on extra work and is always ready willing and able to help anyone out.
A true credit to the team, the business and herself".

Date of event: 30-3-10