The RailStaff Awards 2024

Nominations for Lifetime Achievement Award

Robert McCarthy

Said the following about Doug Cave:

“Doug will have completed 50 years in the railway in October of this year, spending the majority of his time in the old Southern Region, but also some time at EWS with a country-wide portfolio.

Doug is an acknowledged expert in the areas of train crew resourcing (both in diagramming and rostering) and man-power planning, having worked in these areas throughout his career. Anyone who has a question or needs help and assistance regarding these functions goes to Doug – even if it is not his current area of responsibility!

Doug always makes himself available and will always help if he can, even if that is to the detriment of his own work and on many occasions, his own leisure time. This is because he has a passion for the railway and wants to ensure that he does everything he possibly can to keep the system operating in the right way for all users. It is more than ‘just a job’ for Doug.

He is very proud of the work that he does, priding himself on creating diagrams that fulfil the needs of the wider organisation(s), but also that are robustly deliverable and resource able. Importantly, Doug will also listen to what the train crew teams have to say, to ensure that he can do as much as possible to maintain a safe and comfortable environment for their daily and weekly work-patterns. Thus, Doug maintains a very good relationship with Local and Company Union Representatives, who trust the output that he delivers.

His friendly and approachable style means that Doug is a popular member of the teams he has worked within. His always optimistic outlook and approach has been a source of great comfort and support to the people he reports to as well – none more so than during the Industrial Relations problems that GTR Southern faced during 2016 and 2017. Doug took the lead in the planning of these events and was always able to make happen what the business needed and to make the impact on customers as limited as possible.

Doug lives and breathes the railway and counts his career highlight to-date as being “just part of the railway industry”.

Others who know him count the day he sprayed his hair red for comic relief as the highlight too!“

Trevor Cullis-Cussens

Said the following about Doug Cave:

“I have had the Privilege of working with Doug Cave for 36 years of his 50 years on the railway. Many of those years as my boss. He has always been one of the most professional railway colleagues I have worked with, whether we were at meetings with Train Crew Staff Reps or with Senior Managers and Directors. He has also been very understanding when I have had personal issues with stress. Doug took the change from British Rail to the private sector in his stride and will deal with any conflict himself without delegating.“