Customer Service Newsletter (December 2020)

Dec 2020

Customer Services Update Welcome from Matt Stacey

Photo by David Martin, Customer Service Supervisor, Loughborough

Hi everyone,

It’s great to be able to welcome you to our second Customer Services newsletter.

I’d like to open by saying two words that we say a lot, but ring especially true in these challenging times; thank you.

Thank you for everything that you do in your roles across the Customer Services function and have been doing since the pandemic began. You should all be proud of the amazing job you’ve done supporting our key workers and the UK as we face the second lockdown of the year.

Since I started at EMR at the beginning of the year, I’ve had the pleasure to meet and stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the front line with many of the wonderful Customer Services colleagues across the business. It’s been a bit of a baptism of fire, but I’ve been struck by the professionalism of the teams in this business and the way you’ve handled Covid-19 so far.

We’ve been through a huge amount together recently however some things never change on the railway (pandemic or no pandemic) and the key issue of performance is one of those. It absolutely forms part of those brilliant basics that we need to keep a razor-sharp focus on. The philosophy of running a right time railway is one I’m passionate about, both as Head of Stations and as a competent train dispatcher, it is ultimately what our customers want to see. There have been instances recently where delays have been incurred, or safety incidents have happened, because people have lost that focus. We all need to work together to make sure we don’t take our eye off the ball. Generally though, I’ve seen great work being done by teams across Customer Services to deliver great performance – ‘00’ dispatches, active management of gatelines, and delivering the right information to customers at the right time; this all has a great impact.

One of the benefits of Covid-19 is that I’ve really been able to get out and about to meet people, as I’ve been able to remotely dial into meetings from whatever station (or sometimes train!) I’m on. In the last couple of weeks I’ve spent time right across our network – from St Pancras to Skegness to Sheffield, and lots of places in between, and that’s something I’ll absolutely commit to carrying on when the pandemic is eventually over.

I really hope you enjoy this issue of our Customer Services newsletter; we want make sure everyone understands the great work that’s being done across the network at the moment and that you feel informed about what’s happening across the business. And thanks again for everything you’re continuing to do to keep our railway running – I look forward to seeing you out and about on my travels soon.

Matt Stacey Head of Stations

Latest News Let’s face it: Stop the spread, wear a face covering

Covid has become part of our daily routines and we are committed to keeping people safe and recognise that wearing a face covering is a very practical and visible step we can take to do this.

For this reason, we took the decision that the wearing of face coverings is now mandatory in the public facing areas of our trains and at our stations.

It’s equally just as important to understand the bigger picture – which is to encourage our customers back to rail. We want them to feel that they’re in a safe environment, where we’ve taken all of the necessary precautions to keep them safe and prevent the transmission of coronavirus wherever possible. Wearing a face covering may only be one of those factors, but it’s the most visible, and hasn’t been happening consistently across our network.

What are our customers saying?

The feedback we’re getting from our customers is that they’re not confident in travelling by rail as face coverings haven’t been worn consistently at key touch points. Equally behaviour breeds behaviour, with some of our customers commenting “if you’re staff aren’t wearing them, why should we?”

This is just one of the reasons why we’ve made the decision to make the wearing of face coverings mandatory in all public facing spaces, whether that’s on our trains, at our stations or when out and about on our network.

Support from our Unions This change in our stance is supported by our union colleagues, including the Joint Safety Committee and members of our Functional Councils.

We need your support Our customers need to feel that they can travel with confidence and you are a key part of that. It’s important we have your support in role modelling the right behaviours by wearing face coverings within public facing spaces across our network.

Whether you’re a manager, Customer Host, Platform Assistant or based at one of our offices, if you’re out and about, it is now mandatory to wear a face covering to help keep our people and our customers safe (unless medically exempt).

Failure to comply with the mandatory requirement to wear a face covering in the public areas of our trains and stations may lead to disciplinary action.

We have recently completed a trial to provide you with new fit for purpose EMR face coverings. Our findings were that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’ so we are currently working with our supplier to provide a variety of face coverings that will be available at your location soon. We will continue to keep you updated when we have more information.

Guidance surrounding face coverings has been updated to reflect the above changes and is available on SharePoint.

Latest News

New bi-mode fleet named

Since the beginning of the railway, companies have named their rolling stock. You might be aware of examples such as LNER’s ‘Azuma and Southeastern’s ‘Javelin.’ To continue this railway tradition, we wanted a name for our new EMR bi-mode trains that we could be proud of.

Earlier this year, we appealed to our colleagues and customers to name our new Class 810 trains that will be available on our InterCity service from 2022.

We received nearly 2,000 entries which were whittled down to a shortlist of seven by our judging panel with our Exec team choosing the overall winner - Aurora.

Aurora is the name of the Roman goddess of the dawn, representing the new start provided by the new fleet. It is also inspired by the beautiful Northern Lights, which are created by the transfer of the sun’s solar energy, as the fleet will be operated under electric power where possible, replacing the fully diesel fleet on the Midland Main Line.

A huge congratulations to EMR colleague, Trevor Parkin, Head of Operations Standards and one of our customers who both put forward the name.

We can’t wait to see the Aurora fleet in service from 2022.

Your voice update

Thank you to everyone who has taken the opportunity to have their say about working for EMR. We are now working with our management teams to create action plans for your area and will share these with you in the new year.

For every completed survey, you could donate £2 to one of our chosen charities: Mind, Women’s Aid, or Railway Children. We’ll be confirming the totals raised for each charity with you through @WeareEMR and EMR Weekly shortly.

Management team hold virtual conference

Our Customer Service Management team came together at the end of September for a two day virtual conference. The first day of the event focused on providing a business update, reflecting on what EMR and the Customer Services team have achieved in the first year of EMR and reviewing the Customer Service Strategy. There was also a guest appearance from Managing Director, Will Rogers who took part in a Q&A session. Overall the day was extremely positive with the takeaway message being thank you to all teams for the work they have done throughout this year.

The second day focused on a number of virtual presentations from colleagues across the business that managers could pick and choose to log onto.

This included a Stations Investment Overview, an introduction to our Cl.810 bi-mode fleet, and a Uniform Project update.

If you have any questions or would like any more information about the conference, please speak to your line manager.

Latest News Uniform update

Following our last working group sessions at the end of July, our Service Proposition team met with our uniform provider IncorporateWear and handed over the sample garments that have been agreed to take forward. Since then, full technical drawings have been completed for each piece detailing the full specification.

Each technical drawing has been reviewed and approved by Debbie, our uniform designer.

The bespoke EMR tartan and shirting material has been sampled and approved to go into production in order to manufacture the first set of prototype garments. The colours for the fabric have been agreed with our Brand Manager and officially named Blackberry Wine (suiting fabric and tartan background), Pickled Beet (Shollo, softshell, trims, tartan stripes, inner collar, cuffs, linings) and Nightshade (Coat, softshell). We are hopeful that the prototypes will arrive in December where they will be showcased to Exec and our working group. Any changes can be made to the prototype garments prior to the manufacturing for the wearer trials which we hope will take place during April.

Unfortunately this process is taking longer than expected due to challenges with factory closures, remote working and difficulties in obtaining components. However, we are 100% committed to the new EMR uniform and will continue to keep you updated where we can.

Organisational announcement

At EMR one of our core values is keeping people safe. With this in mind, we have created the new role of Head of Crime and Security within our Customer Services team. We’re delighted to announce that Andy Mead has joined EMR from fellow Abellio TOC, West Midlands Trains (WMT) to undertake this position.

Andy has worked on the railway for over 34 years – initially he worked on station platforms and as a guard and steadily built his career and experience all the way through to his most recent post as Head of Senior Conductors at WMT. Andy brings not only great experience as a former Head of Performance, Head of PMO and UK Group Operations Assurance Manager, but also great leadership skills.

Our Revenue Protection & Prosecutions team will report into Andy, with plans to expand the scope of this function to include an exciting new fraud detection, investigation and management unit. The Crime and Security function will also take the lead on workplace security, and will continue the good work already done across the business to help us reduce and manage the impact of staff assault on our teams.

In line with the changes in Customer Services, the HSSE team have also reviewed their portfolio to ensure alignment across the business.

We welcome Andy to EMR and congratulate him on his new position.

Railway Mission: Here to support you

By Colin Fraser, Railway Chaplain

Railway Mission is dedicated to the support of railway staff serving TOCs, Network Rail and British Transport Police (BTP) and other railway related businesses. In serving as an independent, confidential and non-judgemental listening ear, our 18 chaplains across the UK rail network are committed to providing ‘support on life’s journey’. Many of the chaplains, including myself, are also trained Mental Health First Aiders.

EMR and Railway Mission remain committed to exploring new and adaptive ways in supporting staff. Even though the ever-changing coronavirus guidelines make physical face-to-face support challenging at times, we have a number of available options to connect with you. If you need a listening ear or want to know more about Chaplaincy support, you can reach out to me by phone, email, WhatsApp and Twitter.

At a time when we’re constantly hearing words like ‘isolation’ and ‘distancing’, the Railway Mission are here to keep support accessible.

Colin Fraser, Railway Chaplain: Colin has been part of the railway family as a chaplain for just over two years and covers the East Midlands, parts of South Yorkshire and St Pancras.

To contact Colin: Text/Call: 07938 377362

Email: colin.fraser@railwaymission.org Twitter: @waistcoatchapl1

Introducing Unmind: your workplace mental health platform

We want to make sure that you have the tools and resources to be able to confidently manage and improve your mental health and wellbeing, especially during this difficult time, so we’ve launched a brand new platform for our people – Unmind.

Unmind is an independent and completely confidential digital platform to help you measure, understand and improve your mental health and wellbeing. It features scientifically backed tools and training videos to help you learn techniques to manage stress, improve sleep and focus more.

Unmind is free for all EMR employees to use via desktop or via the app on your iPhone or Android device. You can use it whenever and wherever you like to help you learn techniques to help support your mental health both in and outside of the workplace.

How do I sign up?

- Visit emr.unmind.com/signup or use the QR code on the right

- Enter your work details (your employee ID is your staff number and can be found on your ID card ie.MML1234) and click ‘Create Account’ - Check your inbox for an email from Unmind and click ‘Confirm’ - You’re set up and ready to go!

You can also download Unmind on your phone for quick and easy access on-the-go, it’s available on work phones via Catalog or on the App Store.

My experiences as a RAF reservist

By Tim Garbutt, Business Continuity Development Manager, Derby

I joined the RAF Reserves in 1998, the same year I began working for Central Trains.

My initial motivation for joining was just to ‘get my foot in the door’. I’d always wanted to join the RAF but at the time, recruitment was on hold for the branch that I was interested in so I embarked (temporarily, or so I thought) on a part-time occupation that has to this day paralleled my railway career.

It all began at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland where I joined the newly formed ‘Offensive Support, Role Support Squadron’ (later to become 504 Sqn) as a RAF Regiment Gunner.

Training included infantry skills or ‘fieldcraft’ and Counter-Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear warfare training; in preparation for contingency operations or a peer on peer war. That remained the status quo until 2002.

After UN resolutions failed to resolve the growing crisis in the Middle East, the UK began preparing to support the US in its invasion of Iraq. In January 2003, I, along with thousands of reservists received call-out notices.

After completing pre-deployment training, I deployed to Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait, home of the RAF’s Harrier detachment.

Returning to the UK during in autumn 2003, I resumed my role as a Senior Conductor with Central Trains and recommenced part time training with the RAF. As manpower shortages within the RAF Regiment increased, in January 2006 I was mobilised once again; to Basra, Iraq with 3 Sqn RAF Regiment.

Returning home in time for Christmas and re-joining the railway soon after was met with a mixture of relief and trepidation. The transition was difficult in 2003 but this time it was much harder.

Little seemed to have changed back home yet operations in Iraq and Afghanistan were intensifying significantly. In 2009, I was mobilised once again; to Afghanistan.

After 6 months in Afghanistan, I returned home to a relatively new franchise; East Midlands Trains. The transition was even harder than before and, needing a new focus, this was when I began my management career in the rail industry. It was a completely new direction and taught me a lot about myself. My military career continued as before with the draw-down of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the cycle of mobilisations returned to pre-2003 levels.

Training was preparing for ‘if’ rather than ‘when’ we would be called upon again – until this year when the Coronavirus pandemic struck. After a routine training event in March, news spread that the military, specifically reservists, would be required to support. I was mobilised for the fourth time between April and October and carried out a number of roles including assuming responsibility for the defence of RAF Brize Norton and RAF Benson, as well as leading a Mobile Testing Unit, providing Covid testing facilities for members of the public across the South East.

This was a unique situation as previous call-outs had been for war-like operations with a very specific mandate, whereas this was very vague. It was also the first time I’d been mobilised since becoming a parent and, although comparatively short (six months as opposed to 12) and based exclusively in the UK, long periods away from home coupled with the unpredictability of the situation were particularly challenging.

Despite these challenges, I’m pleased to say that this was a successful period. It would not have been possible without the support of those closest to me. Both my wife, Georgina and my ex-wife, Charlotte work for EMR and have worked together tirelessly to accommodate my absence and provide me with peace of mind over the last six months for which I cannot express enough gratitude. It is not only their support that I’m grateful for. EMR have gone above and beyond in the support not only given to me but in the support to those around me, without which none of this would have been possible.

For anyone considering becoming a reservist, I would certainly advocate doing so. I would advise you to do your research and ask yourself why you want to do it. Long gone are the ‘Weekend Warrior’ days; it is very much a second profession that comes with responsibility and accountability at all levels, increasing exponentially as you climb up the ranks.

An interview with our Station Services Team

By Paul Mobbs, Station Duty Manager, Derby

Kev and Neil are both part of our Station Services Team (SST), you’ve probably spotted when you’ve been out and about. They look after a whopping 19 stations split into two different routes ensuring that they’re clean, •

Route one looks after Long Eaton, Spondon, Duffield, Belper, Ambergate,Whatstandwell, Cromford, Matlock Bath and Matlock.

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Route two looks after Pear Tree, Burton Upon Trent, Willington, Tutbury and Hatton, Uttoxeter, Blythe Bridge, Longton, Longport, Kidsgrove and Alsager.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The variety of the role - two days are never the same, travelling to different locations, working outside and meeting and working with a wide range of people.

What was a typical day like for you before Covid?

There was no such thing as a typical day with the chance that plans could change at any time. Our general tasks include, picking up litter, changing bin bags, putting up posters, cleaning off graffiti, blowing leaves, watering plants, cutting back vegetation, checking car park machines, reporting faults to the help desk, assessing safety and security at outstations and doing minor repairs and decorating. Although we look after 19 stations between us, we have our own routes/stations to look after and try to visit the majority on a daily basis covering over a hundred miles on a round trip on one route.

Is there much customer engagement in your role?

We engage on a daily basis with customers, chatting with regular commuters, providing advice on train times, offering directions to visitors and assistance to those who require it in particular helping with luggage.

What things are you doing now to keep our colleagues and customers safe during Covid?

The main focus has been on a regular cleaning regime of touch points at the out stations which include TVMs, car park machines, help points and hand rails. This has been in tandem with providing current advice and guidance through updating information provided on posters and display boards and talking with customers about what EMR is doing whilst demonstrating good practice by wearing a face covering and maintaining a safe distance. We wear gloves when litter picking and regularly wash and sanitise hands and equipment.

How do you prepare for the winter weather?

We prepare for winter weather in many ways; ensuring grit bins are serviceable, stocked and accessible, checking that the grit spreaders are in working order, carrying additional snow shovels on the van for volunteers to use and carrying additional Procoat on the vehicles (to either use or restock grit bins). We also need to make sure we have suitable winter clothing and that the vehicles are winter prepped.

What have you achieved on your route that makes you proud?

Building all the wooden planters and sleeper beds for the plants to showcase in and keeping the plants at the stations watered during the first lockdown when the adopters were not able to access the platforms. This not only protected the hard work they do to enhance the stations but provided some brightness and colour for those customers who were still travelling. We have also contributed to the groups achieving local and national CRP and In Bloom awards.

What are the two tools you could not do without?

The Victorinox multitool - on numerous occasions it has saved me from having to make a trip back to the van when a minor repair is spotted during a routine visit to a station. The other has to be the leaf blower, it helps to make our work so much easier.

To provide us with feedback on your thoughts about the Customer Service Newsletter or if you’d like to write or have an idea for an article, email internal.communications@eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk.

CS Update

On Train, Sheffield

By Mark Evans, On Train Service Delivery Manager

First of all, we would like to welcome Oyin Ogundipe to the team at Sheffield Station. Oyin joins us as On Train Service Delivery Manager from Greater Anglia, where in her previous role she worked in the Booking Office. I am sure you will all take the time in welcoming Oyin to our business and our wonderful team within Customer Services.

Sheffield have had a really positive performance month. Where things started a little ropey to begin with, it was fantastic to see our Train Managers carrying out their duties to the highest standards possible to ensure that Sheffield On Train had minimal amount of impact on delays, delivering a good result against target. Well done and thank you for all your ongoing support in helping us deliver a safe and reliable railway.

It is also worth noting Ian Morrish’s, acute awareness and compassion when handling an accident at London St Pancras station that involved a member of our railway family. Area Stations Manager Will Ryan from St Pancras commented, “Ian clearly demonstrated strong presence of mind, compassion for his colleague, and followed procedures correctly. This without a doubt contributed to this incident being dealt with effectively and the member of Staff looked after. Can you please pass on my thanks to Ian for his actions. A real credit to your team.” Once again, a huge thank you to Ian and the speedy reactions he portrayed when dealing with this accident. Well Done!

Lastly, I would like to thank each and every single member of our team that continue to keep the railway operational and safe at all times. You have all worked tirelessly in delivering a safe railway to our passengers and I cannot personally thank you enough for all your efforts.

On Train, Derbyshire

By Danielle Blavins, On Train Depot Manager Following a series of internal recruitment days, I am pleased to say that five of our hosts at Derby have been successful. Four Customer Hosts have been successful in our Train Manager talent pool and one Customer Host was successful for a secondment at Stations. Congratulations to you all

Last month we said goodbye to Shirley Hoptroff after 21 years on the Railway. Shirley has sent in the following card to all of her Railway Family.

Graham Holmes has started his training to become a Driver in Nottingham. Graham has worked in the Customer Service function for almost 20 years and will be missed by us all at Derby. We wish him the best of luck.

Following a recent review with our Health and Safety reps at 4-Shed, the wearing of face coverings is now required when using any of the walkways in 4-Shed. If you are unable to wear a face covering on medical grounds, please ensure that you speak with your line manager to obtain an exemption card.

Stations, Leicestershire

By Rachel McGinley, Station Duty Manager

CS Update

It’s been a busy few months for Leicestershire with lots of new starters to welcome to our team and a few farewells...

At Loughborough station we sadly said goodbye to Julie Smith, a dear friend and loved colleague to all. Julie made her final journey through to the station to say her goodbyes, a moment that meant a great deal to the station team.

We have welcomed Kevin Lang as Customer Service Officer at Loughborough station. Kevin has worked with us at Leicester station and is always smiling and happy to help. We look forward to seeing him shine at Loughborough.

East Midlands Parkway sees the welcome return of Heather Penn, who will be job sharing the role of Customer Service Supervisor with new starter, Donna Ford. We would like to thank Kelly Wright and Mark Grisdale for their support and hard work in looking after the teams at both East Midlands Parkway and Leicester in Heather’s absence.

We’d like to wish Joe Hoy all the best in his new role as Senior Conductor at Nottingham Station. Joe has been instrumental during his time at Market Harborough. Nottingham - you have recruited a good one here; you will be missed Joe! Leicester station has a new Retail Supervisor, Michelle May, who is doing a fantastic job supporting the station. We also welcome Molly Sadler, who will be joining us soon as a Customer Service Officer. The team is looking forward to working with you.

A special mention to Kaylea Perrin. Her presence out on the platforms in plenty of time really paid off when she emergency stopped a train arriving into Leicester station, and prevented what could have been a really horrible experience. We are really proud of you Kaylea - thank you.

Finally, we’d like to wish Rachel Rundell and Rebecca Hussey a goodbye and good luck from us all here in Leicestershire as they embark on their maternity leave. Thank you for all your support and commitment to the team, you will both be missed and please send us baby pictures!

Stations, Nottingham

By Daniel Hughes, Area Stations Manager

Our key focus at Nottingham has been increasing our First Aiders with our batch of team members successfully completed their training last month. Well done to everyone involved.

We have welcomed Ricky Shaw this month to our team as a Platform Assistant. Ricky is pictured above completing his induction alongside Tom Sach and Darren Southam.

We also welcome Martyn Shaw, our new Station Service Technician.

We wish Charles Makin, Platform Assistant all the best as he leaves us to take on another role within East Midlands Railway. Good luck Charles!

CS Update

Stations, London

By Will Ryan, Area Stations Manager

This period has been a difficult one for the London team with the loss of our friend and colleague Osama Mahdi. Osama was a bright, friendly and hardworking, he always had a smile for his colleagues and customers and was a great source of support to the team. Osama will be greatly missed by all those who knew him.

In the management office at St Pancras there is a book of condolence, anyone wishing to write down their memories and recollections of Osama are encouraged to do so. In addition, Joe Santos and Phil Caldwell are organising a collection in Osama’s memory.

We welcome James Grimley to the team. Having been employed as an agency contractor since August 2019, James has quickly proven himself invaluable to the Stations function. It’s with great joy that James officially joined EMR as a full time colleague since September 2020.

The new platforms at Wellingborough are looking fantastic with a huge amount of work having been completed. Works also continue at Kettering to replace the canopies. Station Duty Manager Paul Jones said, “it’s fantastic to see all the hard work coming to fruition, I’d like to pass a personal thanks to the team in Northamptonshire who’ve worked so collaboratively with Network Rail their contractors during this difficult period.” We look forward to seeing new trains running on the route from December 2020.

New walkway on platform 1 to widen the platform area, making it safe for customers

New platforms at Wellingborough

Customer Service Centre

CS Update

By Charlotte Hannibal, Team Leader

As we approach the end of this extraordinary year, it’s time to reflect. Through the ups and downs of the last 12 months, the Customer Service Centre Team have shown resilience and a commitment to helping our customers through these difficult times.

There have been some significant milestones within the team. Both Claire Betts and Claire Oakes have celebrated 25 years of service each. Having both worked on the railway for a cumulative 50 years they embody what it means to be part of the Railway Family and we’d like to wish them a huge congratulations and thank you for their contributions over the last 25 years.

We also sadly lost a member of our team in August. Tania Hunnam, Lost Property and Passenger Assistance Officer also worked for the railway for over 15 years, and she is missed by all of us. It is times like these we come together as colleagues and friends to support one another , and the Customer Service Centre team have fund raised to dedicate a tree in Tania’s memory, which her family, friends and future generations can enjoy.

Over the next 12 months, our charity champions, Jenna Busch and Jessica Taberner are planning a number of team fundraising events for our chosen charities, one of which is DKMS, a blood cancer charity that was a cause close to Tania’s heart.

We also look forward to congratulating Customer Service Centre Manager, Neil Sargent, on his upcoming marriage to his fiancé Gemma on 12th December. It is some happy and uplifting news to end the year, and we wish them all the best on their wedding day.

Customer Information

By Melissa Little, Duty Customer Information Manager

A huge congratulation to Donna Johnson and her partner Richard on their beautiful baby girl born 19th September. Lexi Louise, we all can’t wait to meet you. The whole Control team is sending you lots of love.

We welcomed another new face to the Customer Information team in October; Sarah Page has joined us on secondment from Derby Station.

We said farewell to Chris Cook, a member of the Customer Information team for five years. He has left to pursue his dream job and continue his studies in Architecture.

‘Happy birthday to ya...” Brandon, Donna, Izzy, Nikki, Jenna and Cheree! We hope you enjoyed your birthdays, and all the cake.

Getting out and about...

Our Exec team have also been taking part in ‘Out & About’ sessions to see how you’re feeling about working for EMR and giving you the opportunity to discuss any issues.

Our Customer Services Leadership team have also been making the most of being able to work remotely to travel across the network to chat and support our teams.

Here’s what Neil Grabham, Matt Stacey and Dave Meredith have been up to over the last few weeks...

As part of the stations team, Matt feels that it’s only right to be competent at dispatching EMR trains. Whilst at St Pancras, he supported the team by helping out with the morning peak. It’s great to hear that he’s still got his 100% on time record.

No, this isn’t the ‘Great Train Robbery’, this is Dave, Neil and Matt taking part in our face covering trial.

The trial was completed by a number of volunteers across the network to find the most comfortable and functional face covering for colleagues.

The trial concluded that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’, so we’ll be introducing new face covering stations to all EMR employees shortly that will allow them to choose their own face covering.

Matt visited Skegness station to congratulate the team on a positive, yet very different summer for the station.

As well as having a large number of holidaymakers arriving into the station, a lot of hard work has gone into ensuring that everyone was kept safe and travel was as straight forward as possible. Well done to Skegness for another great summer service!

Out & About dates: January/February

Derby station, Wednesday 13th January: Kirsty Derry, HR Director & Simone Dickens, Head of HR Lincoln & Boston stations, Wednesday 20th January: Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director EMCC, Wednesday 10th February: Lisa Angus, Projects Director

St Pancras station, Wednesday 17th February: Chris Wright, Commercial Director If our Leadership team aren’t visiting your location or you won’t be on shift for their visit, you can send your questions and feedback to internal.communications@eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk or text 07979