The RailStaff Awards 2024

Nominations for Rail Team of the Year

Carys Thomas

Said the following about Bristol Temple Meads Railway Station:

“Bristol Temple Meads Station has taken tremendous strides over the last year in the face of challenging circumstance. The team have worked tenfold to ensure the station runs even during and following challenging possessions such as BASRE. The team have played host to the launch of the new IET’s, a number of train naming ceremonies, large scale events and ongoing possessions. This has taken a large number of overtime hours, introduction of risk assessment documentation and building collaborative relationships with others.

Despite a number of challenges, the team has worked together to ensure shortages in the team are covered, possessions and events run smoothly and customers have the best possible experience whilst at the station. Beyond this they have worked to better the collective atmosphere and engage with customers in a way that hasn’t been done previously. They’ve achieved this through engagement sessions, an increase in social media communication and poster notifications. The team have seen an increase in customer recognition with praise being given to the team daily for their engagement and positive attitudes.

At last minute the team have stepped up to ensure successful running of last minute events, procedures and disruption and have always acted with the highest level of professionalism and positivity to challenge. Following identified issues post-BASRE, the team sought ways of overcoming them in the short term whilst working with Network Rail to find a long term resolution.

At a late stage last year, the team operated at 67% of its workforce, going above and beyond working tirelessly without complaint in covering a large amount of hours whilst the management team worked hard to address the issues. Now operating at almost 96%, the team not only look to support eachother but to support other stations too. During the recent BASRE possession dispatchers and gateline staff descended upon Bristol Parkway to aid with large passenger flows and assist teams headed over to Bath spa and Weston Super Mare to assist with on board cleaning and customers. The team exemplify what we teach in our GEMS principles, supporting eachother to maintain operation and the best possible experiences for our customers.

The team has strived to better both process and station working by introducing better auditable systems and staff engagement and inclusion. This has allowed an increase from non-compliance to good in operational record keeping and has been visible in the daily station workings. Feedback is freely given by all and acted upon through programs such as 6S and Exemplar allowing for ongoing improvement. Feedback on performance is given and acted upon through KPI boards and station team meetings. The team have challenged the manager-front line divide that has existed previously and now work as a collective to ensure and encourage the best possible outcomes for the station and its people.

The team has a strong supportive ethos to both themselves and customers, stepping in on several occasions to prevent fatalities and incidents at both the station and its outer stations. In addition to being seen going above and beyond for customers daily, the team also partake in a number of community events working with Envision, Lifeskills learning, the Princes Trust, Sixteen Coop, Open Doors, CrimeStoppers and Severn Side Community Rail.

The team have been leaders in a number of areas, leading in best practice for a number of reasons, namely BASRE documentation, 6S within the ticket office, disruption flow charts and station communications and have shared a number of event proceedings such as pride arrangements with other departments. There’s also been an increase in engagement with stakeholders and other departments, encouraging a one railway method of working whereby all departments and stakeholders are involved in its planning and operation.

A newly developed local ethos to ongoing learning and development has seen all colleagues willing to learn and wanting to develop. Local arrangements to ensure colleagues are presented with the opportunity to attend training courses and support eachother through new technology role demands has been tremendous. Those proficient in such workings have taken to guiding and teaching others. The community spirit in aiding eachother with learning has been tenfold with staff wanting to learn varied role requirements so that they may step in if and when needed. What was previously a segregated team now work in harmony with Ticket office colleagues, Gateline colleagues, TSSO colleagues, Platform colleagues and management working collaboratively with other GWR departments and stakeholders to ensure the stations successful operation. During the heavy snowfall this last winter we saw ticket office colleagues come out to assist in advising customers, gateline staff assisting with assists, platform teams aiding network rail to clear platforms and car parks, managers assisting in clearing platforms, on board teams heading out to clear outer stations and revenue teams working alongside dispatchers to keep us moving. Staff remained in the Bristol area having worked a large number of hours to cover those that could not make it in with one household housing 7 colleagues and others taking to messrooms at the station. To successfully maintain station operation and station safety was a tremendous achievement and was down to the collaborative working of those on the ground.

The team inspire those they work with and alongside, exemplifying that nothing is impossible and that through unity there is strength. The collective work and commitment to eachother is the reason the station has been able to maintain its operations and make such tremendous strides in the face of adversity.“