Hailey Giblin

Said the following about Planning & Performance Team:

“RAIL TEAM OF THE YEAR – PLANNING AND PERFORMANCE TEAM

We are intensely proud of the Planning and Performance team here at Lumo. They’re a small but mighty team of just three and execute the same (some would argue better) level of work that teams of ten take on across the wider industry.

Impact on the business

Every single member of the Planning and Performance team is a newcomer to their role, however, from the outside looking in you wouldn’t assume that this is the case. In their first year, the team has made an incredible impact on the business.

From day one they have taken the reigns, working just as seamlessly as a team that’s been together for decades. They excel in their day-to-day tasks, ensuring that Lumo has zero gaps in its train planning strategy and that performance management is well understood across the board.

With little to no previous knowledge of the rail industry, each member carries themselves as an expert in their field. They continuously look out for colleagues and the business to deliver the best performance for Lumo customers.

The team consistently engage and collaborate with stakeholders outside the business too. Taking part in the industry-wide ‘Pride of Planning’ event recently, and celebrating the efforts that are making a difference in the train planning community.

David Fox can often be found around the industry championing for wider collaboration, challenging for the industry to be learning and improving how we do things. They’re true champions of Lumo across the wider industry – acting proactively and striving for new opportunities consistently and making sure we learn quickly when things don’t go to plan.

They are drivers of culture within the business, which trickles down through the rest of the team. As a small team of three, they have had an incomparable impact on how Lumo operates. They lead from the front with passion, showing the rest of our team and industry that Lumo faces challenges head on and always prioritises solutions over problems.

Key successes

The Planning and Performance team embody innovation, which is a core value at Lumo. This year, they have led the way to deliver some of our most fresh-thinking contingency plans to date to ensure customers travel seamlessly across the ECML.

For example, earlier this year when Network Rail needed to undertake engineering works at Northallerton. Ordinarily this would have resulted in customers not being able to travel the full route of the ECML. However, this team planning team created a new method of operating – the ‘train-coach’ operation. This kept customers moving throughout the disruption.

They didn’t stop there, they grabbed hold of the engineering work footprint and developed a year long plan of what ‘the art of the possible’ was for customer delivery plans. We now have a number of creative solutions which has transformed our entire customer offering.

They are consistently one step ahead – providing solutions for ongoing engineering work and industrial action, as well as spotting and resolving anything operationally that could cause an issue to Lumo’s service and its customers.

Team gratitude

Lumo colleagues shared their thoughts about each member of the Planning and Performance team, saying:

“Toni since joining Lumo has quickly become a great asset to the business. She has taken to rostering very quickly and is always looking to do the right thing. Toni will take onboard feedback and work together with teams to get the best possible outcome. Toni always has a smile on her face and can have a real laugh just when you need it.”

“Rochelle came into this role not from a performance background and has hit the ground running. She is tigerish in ensuring our performance improves.”

“David has really made the Performance and Planning team his own by helping his colleagues build their skills, whilst getting to grips with his own role. David has managed to build relationships within and out of the business to ensure that we are much better prepared for Engineering Works and disruption than at any point in the past.”“