Elizabeth Hardman

Said the following about Metro South Southern Operations Team:

“It is my pleasure to nominate the Metro South Southern Operations Team for the Digital Railway Team Award for their implementation and delivery of Digital Notice Cases here at Norwood Dept.

The original concept to move Norwood Depot into the digital age was raised by the Norwood Driver Management Team, identifying both a need and opportunity to impact the Drivers environment for the better. Norwood Depot has no in-house Resource Managers and as such the lack of human interaction and time investment has had an impact on the Drivers moral, the opportunity to invest in their environment was a clear and innovative one. Alongside the vital communications needed to run a safe and productive depot.

The project needed a champion leader, Mr David McCaighy gladly and passionately stepped up to the plate. David identified the business risk of not having in-house Resource Managers stationed at Norwood, missed speed restrictions and safety notifications being the biggest. Together with the Managers they imagined a fully digital late notice case which could be published in hi-definition from the Selhurst RM office with a lightning quick reactive turnaround time. Not only ensuring clear and speedy communication but also impacting the environment positively too.

With every digital project, there is a need for an IT Technician like no other, Mr James Drew was that man. With his OBS background and degree in IT he worked alongside David and the managers to bring the idea to fruition. There were several attempts to build the software suitable for the hi-def, low burn screens to ensure large, ease of access notification displays with a speedy publishing turnaround of just 6 seconds.

However, none of this could be possible without the backing and encouragement of the Project Sponsor, Mr Simon Bott. His passion for innovation and pushing the boundaries of what has gone before allowed this project to materialize, achieving a fast, accurate and reliable method of communicating safety notices across remote depots. Making Norwood Depot the national pioneer of digitally displayed safety notices.“