Ben Simkin

Said the following about Stewart Cumming:

“The CrossCountry North East & Scotland Management Team would like to nominate Stewart Cumming for the Rail Staff Awards Lifetime Achievement Award.

Stewart is a Customer Service Manager for CrossCountry at Edinburgh Waverley. Stewart joined British Rail on the 17th June 1996 after 20 years’ service with the Royal Navy where he travelled the world.

Later in 1996, on privatisation of the railway, Stewart joined the newly awarded franchisee Virgin CrossCountry as a Voyager host working the long-distance Cornish Man service between Dundee and Penzance. After only 12 months Stewart was promoted to Senior Steward and worked various routes including Plymouth, Penzance, Brighton, Liverpool, Manchester Airport, Coventry and Oxford.

Two years later Stewart would be promoted to Train Manager and then on the 13th October 2000 he made his move into management where he was appointed as Customer Service Manager Edinburgh.

Apart from a one-year break between 2009 and 2010, Stewart has spent the rest of his career as Customer Service Manager, initially with Virgin Trains, then with Arriva when they were awarded the franchise in 2007.

In 2009 he was recalled by the Ministry of Defence to serve with the Royal Navy Reserves (Mobilised) to carry out operations in the Middle East working for UKMTO Dubai. This included giving anti-piracy advice to merchant ships who would be passing through the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. Stewart returned to Cross Country trains in September of 2010.

There have been many highlights during Stewart’s time working in the railway but some of the key ones are listed below: -

• Operation Princess, in 2002 under the Virgin Trains Franchise, Stewart oversaw a substantial increase in Train Managers and Catering staff and the transformation of the CrossCountry fleet and a requirement to recruit and train over 60 new Train Managers

• In 2007 Stewart oversaw the split in the Virgin Trains Franchise and the split in Edinburgh staff when Virgin Trains became West Coast and CrossCountry stayed east coast taking over the central trains in a new franchise

• Working on the introduction of the Advantix Ticket Retail machine including teaching of all Train Managers at Edinburgh

• Training all Train Managers on the Introduction of the HST Electric Doors upgrade

• Replacing the old Avantix Ticket Retail System with the new Star Mobile System including the training of all Edinburgh Train Managers

Over his career Stewart has hired and trained hundreds of Train Managers and Caterers at Edinburgh, he has also served as a coach and mentor to new Customer Service Managers who have join the business, with Stewart’s support these managers themselves have gone onto have successful careers in the railway and he continues to provide guidance and act as a father figure to new and experienced Managers.

The COVID pandemic was a really challenging time for frontline colleagues & management. Post pandemic Stewart has dedicated a huge amount of his time with his Train Managers supporting them and giving them the assurance they need to get back to business as usual and to strive to give customers the experience they are used to when travelling CrossCountry. As a result of this activity, CrossCountry regularly receive positive feedback from customers about Edinburgh Train Managers and they have some of the highest onboard ticket sales across the whole business.

Stewart is open to change himself and has taken on feedback from younger less experienced colleagues on how he can make his work life easier and more enjoyable by embracing digital technologies and moving away from paper, which he has fully embraced.

Leading by example, you will often find Stewart working as a Contingent Train Manager or on the platforms at Edinburgh despatching trains covering uncovered turns, even if they do require a 0445 book on.

With over 27 years’ service to the railway Stewart is deserving of this nomination for a Lifetime Achievement Award, throughout his unblemished career he has been a dedicated employee of CrossCountry and the railway. He is as committed now as when he first joined the railway in 1996.“