The RailStaff Awards

Nominations for Rail Team of the Year

Anneliese Reid

Said the following about Southeastern Passenger Services and Train Crew Rosters:

“Throughout covid and beyond the rostering teams have worked extremely hard. I feel they have been unsung heroes all the way through. Throughout covid the rostering teams worked tirelessly to cover platforms and crew trains to ensure we had trains to get key workers to their destinations. Often working from 0600 until late into the evening. There were many times where my team and I worked 16 hour days to ensure there was sufficient cover due to sickness to keep our trains moving. Often with little help from management teams as they were struggling with sickness themselves.

One occasion the whole of Ramsgate station went down with sickness. My team and I rallied together trying to get cover from here there and everywhere to ensure trains were able to depart. If trains can’t leave from Ramsgate then there would be no service along that line of route. No mangers were contactable not even the ones on call so it fell to me and my team to contact kicc to get it onto schedule cards that drivers and conductors were needed as part of the despatch plan. Again going above and beyond the remit of the roster clerk. Please can it be considered the lengths our rostering teams go to, to ensure safety and sufficient cover to keep our trains moving, going above and beyond for our passengers to get to where they need to be.

Now we are going through strike action the added extra pressures especially for train crew rosters rewriting diagrams last minute to keep our trains moving for our passengers.

I feel the rostering departments go above and beyond and are often the last to be considered, all whilst making sure people get the leave they want the pay is correctly sent over to pay bills on top of trying their damnedest to cover when there is literally not a single body spare, but somehow manage to ensure safety is covered to keep people on the move, keep our trains running and keeping our people and passengers safe.“

Rhiannon Jones

Said the following about Southeastern Passenger Services and Train Crew Rosters:

“Rostering is often a thankless behind the scenes job, trains wouldn't run & stations wouldn't be staffed without the hard work they do.

They have worked extremely hard with managing the pressures of the rising sickness during COVID ensuring we could provide a service for those who were considered key workers, now we have additional pressures of the current national crisis the team work hard to ensure we have crew available for our trains & staff to dispatch them often last minute to reduce the impact of the industrial action on our passengers.

The rostering team learn, retain & juggle so much information to enable them to complete a safe & reliable roster. I feel most people don't consider this they just want their annual leave request accepted & their pay to accurate.

So thank you for all you do behind the scenes :)“