EMR Customer Service Newsletter, February 2021

Feb 2021

Customer Services Update

Out with the old, in with the new!

Photo by Steve Cadge, Senior Conductor, Norwich

Welcome to 2021, a year that couldn’t come soon enough! The less said about 2020, the better. One thing I’d like to say is thank you to each and every one of you for playing a part in getting through a very tough year.

2021 is all about change for both our customers and colleagues - it is out with the old and in with the new. We have said goodbye to the Angel and VP185 HST’s and will shortly be saying goodbye to the Red HSTs and the majority of our Class 153 units too. Although we will be sad to see the old fleet go, it’s exciting to welcome our 170 and 180 units and very soon the class 360 units. We will also be getting more involved in the development of the new Aurora bi-mode units and the service proposition offer on this fleet.

Another change for 2021 will be a revised timetable from May 2021 where we’ll have six trains per hour in and out of London: 2x Corby – St Pancras, 2x Nottingham – St Pancras and 2x Sheffield – St Pancras. This is the first sizable increase of our MML timetable since 2008.

Additionally, we welcome a new route to our family - the Barton Upon Humber route. This route runs between Cleethorpes on the East Coast and follows the Humber Estuary to Barton. Initially we will be hiring train crew to operate the route in the coming months by increasing our Senior Conductors at Lincoln to add the route to their portfolio.

We will also begin working with the Department for Transport about the retention on the Nottingham to Liverpool route. You may recall that this was due to be moved to another operator in 2021 but it was agreed for EMR to retain it. We will be developing plans to ensure that we have the right fleet and crew plans in place to deliver this.

Finally, I would like to pass on my gratitude to each and every one of you for your efforts to keep people moving in 2020 and continue to do so in 2021. As individuals we can achieve good things, but as a team we can achieve great things so keep up the excellent work and we will get through the challenges together.

Dave Meredith Head of On Train

Latest News Let’s face it

Stop the spread, wearing a face covering

Wearing face coverings in communal areas

It’s important to remember to adhere to our Covid secure measures and guidance whilst at work to keep yourself and others around you safe .

Please remember that face coverings should be worn at all times when in our stations and on train. This includes when using communal areas, unless you are eating or drinking.

Maintaining a safe social distance on train

As well as wearing a face covering whilst on train, it’s important to remain a safe social distance from both colleagues and our customers when travelling. This includes colleagues who may be travelling as a passenger during their shift.

If you are travelling as a passenger, please ensure you are seated in the train carriage and not in the back cab or galley area, to ensure a safe social distance can be maintained. You should only be travelling in the back cab or galley if you are undertaking safety critical duties.

EMR face coverings

We recently made our EMR face coverings available, providing you with a range of options to choose the one most suited to you. Colleagues were asked to choose a maximum of three face coverings per person depending on the option you preferred. Please be aware that we will be making an additional order this month if more are required in your area.

Uniform update

Although there’s not a lot to report on the new EMR uniform at the moment, we want to reassure you that there’s still plenty going on behind the scenes.

In January, Neil Grabham (Customer Service Director), Chris Wright (Commercial Director), Jenna Cowie (Head of Marketing & Revenue) and Matt Whitehead (Brand Manager) met with our EMR uniform Designer, Debbie Johnson and the project team for a brand approval meeting.

This was to review the range of prototype garments that have now been manufactured by our uniform provider, Incorporatewear to ensure that the colours and logos used within the garments were correct and would look aesthetically pleasing on our trains.

The uniform prototype garments were also presented to the Executive team last month who were very impressed with the design mock ups that have been created by Debbie and the working group. We’re currently waiting for approval from the DfT before we can progress further, however we’re hopeful this will be soon.

Our wearer trials are due to take place May 2021 and we’re looking forward to sharing some photos with you as to what our new uniform looks like soon. Watch this space!

The introduction of Kettering Train Crew Depot

By Jonathan Rolling, On Train Depot Manager

Since late 2016, there have been plans to upgrade the Midland Mainline with overhead lines extending from Bedford to Corby along with the promise of electric rolling stock introduced to run the Corby services. With more services planned for this section of the Mainline, we needed additional train crew and Kettering was chosen to host a new train crew depot.

Recruitment & Training

Recruitment for the 26 new members of the Kettering team began in November 2019. Train Managers and Senior Conductors within the business were also given the option to transfer to the new depot.

An exceptional amount of interest for the positions at Kettering was shown, which made the recruitment process long and tough but greatly rewarding.

By February 2020, all 26 Train Managers had been recruited and the first 13 were attending training at the Academy, Derby. In normal times training, mentoring and passing out 26 new Train Managers by the 31st May would be a difficult challenge at best. When the pandemic hit us in March, courses were either moved online or cancelled putting the whole project at risk. We were posed with the possibility that we would not have enough trained train crew for the planned depot opening date.

In the background we worked with the Union Reps on writing local agreements, emergency plans and risk assessments to secure work for the new depot. This was to enable our Train Managers to have as much experience as possible. To assist with mentoring, we developed six of our St Pancras Train Managers into new mentors alongside two competent mentors. All of which put in a fantastic amount of time & effort during the pandemic to get our new staff through the mentoring period and ready to pass out prior to the opening date.

Temporary accommodation

Finding a location for a train crew depot within a station that was built in 1857 was tough for our Projects team. With the permanent accommodation at Kettering not expected to be ready until the end of 2021, a temporary solution was created.

The temporary accommodation is made up of a double storey portacabin which includes a mess room, booking on point and a management suite with a training room/small meeting room. There are also two additional blocks with toilets and locker facilities.

Despite a slight delay due to a change to the diagrams at short notice, the depot opened on 14th June 2020 with the first Kettering Train Manager booking on for duty on this day. The opening of the depot would not have been possible without everyone working together and adapting to change at short notice; a great effort made by all showing how much our teams are committed to getting this right.

Permanent accommodation

With temporary accommodation in place and the Envoy room opening in January, we’re now focusing on our permanent accommodation.

It has been agreed that we will completely refurbish the Network Rail MDU building opposite Kettering station.

With building works to commence from March 2021, we plan for staff to relocate in November 2021. We will continue to keep you updated on the build throughout the year.

It really has been a very busy but exciting 12 months in Kettering and I am very proud to see the plans and hard work all coming together. We have been hit hard by the pandemic which has given us added workload and delays to the project but we managed to push on through. There is still a large amount of exciting work to complete over the next year including the introduction of our May 21 timetable and Class 360s entering service. I look forward to sharing the progress with you all as things develop and take shape.

Talking about mental health

By Amelia Wareing, Head of Health & Wellbeing

At EMR, one of our values is that ‘We are one team’. This means that we actively look out for one another, and that we all have a duty of care to each other to champion wellbeing in the workplace.

By taking the time to have a conversation about mental health with each other, we can show that it’s OK to talk about mental health and steer colleagues who are struggling in the right direction.

Top tips for championing conversations about mental health

Find a suitable time and quiet place for the conversation

A simple ‘how are you?’ is a good place to start. The important thing is to sit back and listen.

Be patient

An individual may not open up straight way, but knowing that you are listening and open to a discussion is an important first step. The mental health charity, Mind, advises avoiding comments such as “I’m sure it will pass”, “cheer up”, “things could be worse” or anything else which minimises the concerns of the person.

During periods of high stress we tend to lose rational thinking and fatigue may lead to an inability to think clearly.

Listen without making comparisons to your own experience

Unless specifically asked, try to avoid problem solving statements seeking to provide solutions. You are not the expert! Often people just want reassurance and knowing you will be there for them is enough.

Ask “What can I do to help?”

The person may not have an answer immediately and simply knowing that there is someone willing to support them, in whatever way, is often a huge relief. Practical offers of assistance can be very welcome.

This may involve helping clear a colleague’s diary to enable recuperation or simply buying them a cup of coffee and encouraging them to take a break during busy periods.

Maintain confidentiality

Except for ethical situations where you may be obliged to disclose concerns, reassure your colleague that the discussion is in confidence.

Please remember, if you do not feel comfortable having a conversation about mental health then that’s okay too. However, if you notice some signs that someone is in need of some help or could do with someone to talk to, perhaps mention it to your manager as they may be better placed to have the conversation.

If you need support quickly...

Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) - a free & confidential helpline staffed 365 days a year.

Phone 0800 030 5182 Visit https://healthassuredeap.co.uk (Username: Abellio, Password: EAP)

Samaritans

Phone 116 123 Visit https://www.samaritans.org Email jo@samaritans.org

NHS Urgent and Emergency Care Call 111 for non emergencies Call 999 in an emergency

Additional support is available from your Occupational Health team, Monday - Friday, 9.00 - 16.00 by calling 0116 255 1260.

Speaking out

By Chris Buckley, Head of Organisation Development

At East Midlands Railway we want to create an environment where all employees feel able to bring their authentic selves to work everyday. We want colleagues to feel both physically and psychologically safe at work, we speak a lot (quite rightly) about people’s physical safety on the railway but we don’t often talk about their psychological safety. What do we mean by this?

What is Psychological Safety?

Psychological Safety means that you feel able to be yourself in the workplace, that you can ask that ‘silly question’ without fear of being laughed at or you can voice a differing opinion in an open and honest way without being treated in a negative way or you can admit a mistake or point one out in a constructive way.

What sort of behaviour can create people to feel psychologically unsafe?

If someone makes a mistake at work (and who doesn’t?), how their colleagues and managers react to that can be the difference between making someone feel psychologically unsafe or not.

Imagine a situation where it’s someone’s first week as a Customer Welcome Host and they see a manager shouting at a member of staff for not doing something correctly. In the future if that Customer Welcome Host makes a mistake do you think they’re going to openly admit it to the shouty line manager? Probably not.

Imagine another situation where a new starter is in the mess room and they overhear derogatory comments about someone who’s gay, if they themselves are gay or even an ally, this won’t give them any confidence that they can be their authentic selves at work.

What do I do if I see this sort of behaviour?

If you see this sort of behaviour, you have a few options: •

• •

Call it out. Whilst this maybe hard if you perceive the person in question to be senior to you, if done properly it can be really effective. Remember most of the time the person creating the psychological hazard probably doesn’t realise they’re doing it. Addressing the issue in the moment can be really impactful and effective. A great framework for having these conversations is called Situation, Behaviour, Impact which can be found online.

Raise the concern to management. You could raise the concern to a line manager or a more senior manager and ask them to address the behaviour, either in person or in writing.

Use our Speaking Up policy. If you have tried to address or flag the issue without success, you can use our Speaking Up (whistleblowing) policy to highlight poor practice or behaviours. You can find the full policy on Sharepoint (search ‘Speaking up’). To raise a concern you should email legal@abellio.com clearly outlining your concern.

February is LGBTQ+ History Month

LGBTQ+ History Month is an annual month-long observance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history, and the history of the gay rights within the UK. It is a time to reflect on UK events that have led us to where we are today - from the 1533 Buggery Act to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 and everything in between. Exploring this history allows us all to celebrate how far we have come and to focus on how much further we have to go to bring about equality for LGBTQ+ individuals.

Here at EMR, we have our own Inclusion Spaces which are safe spaces for all our employees to reach out and share their experiences, even if you don’t identify as part of the group. If you fancy joining us or if you have any questions, get in touch with Chris Buckley (christopher.buckley@eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk) who’s always up for a chat about diversity and inclusion!

Career Pathways

There’s plenty of opportunities to progress your career in the railway. We spoke to Charles, Joe and Isla who are currently training as Senior Conductors and Anthony who is training to be a Train Manager to share their own career pathway and offer advice for those interested in doing the same.

Charles Makin, Senior Conductor

I started on the railway in October 2018 as a Customer Welcome Host at Nottingham. After seven months in the role, I was asked if I’d be interested in doing a fixed term Platform Assistant secondment. I was keen to try something different, on the operational side of the business, so jumped at the chance.

After a few months in the role, a permanent position became available. I had been enjoying the secondment and the challenges that a safety critical role presented so I decided to apply for it. I was fortunate to secure the role and was happy until I spoke to a colleague who was a Senior Conductor. That conversation made me think that it could be the role for me. I decided to keep an eye out for any vacancies and as soon as I saw the Senior Conductor Talent Pool become available, I applied and was thankfully successful.

My advice if you want to further your railway career is speak to your manager. If there’s a specific role you’re interested in, they may be able to arrange some shadowing. Take any opportunity to try a different role if it’s offered as a secondment or any training courses - you never know where they may lead. You could also chat to your colleagues and get an idea of what they do in their role.

My favourite thing about working for the railway is that it’s like a big family. There’s always someone to say hello to and ask questions if you’re unsure. It’s a very friendly place to work!

Joe Hoy, Senior Conductor

I started on the railway as a Customer Service Officer at Market Harborough station in 2018. Being the youngest in the MHR team, I was worried at first but the team made me feel very welcome. Having a multi-skilled role meant that I learnt so much in the first few months. It was a privilege to be a part of the success of the station as it went through a major transformation in 2019.

After two years as a Customer Service Officer, I wanted to advance my skills to another part of the business. I became interested in the Senior Conductor role and successfully passed the interview stage. I have since sat the guard’s course and can’t wait to put the theory into practise.

My advice to anyone looking to progress is never be afraid of taking a leap forward and pushing yourself you’d be surprised at how much you probably already know about the railway! The training is fantastic and very strategic, there’s no such thing as fail. The trainers are very supportive and prepare lots of hand outs to help get you on your feet. It’s been a great experience so far, the railway has definitely been the best career experience I could ever wish for and long may it continue!

Isla Dunne, Senior Conductor

I started on the railway in November 2018 as a Customer Service Officer at Sheffield. When I saw that there was a Senior Conductor vacancy, I felt like it was the next step in my career and the chance to try something different. I made sure I spoke to my Senior Conductor colleagues first to ensure that it was definitely the right step for me. They were all very positive about the role which encouraged me to do it.

If you’re considering progressing your railway career, my advice would be to go for it!

Anthony Singleton, Train Manager

I started on the railway in January 2018 as a Customer Host coming from a hospitality background where I was a Travel Agent.

My progression to Train Manager is different from many. When I started my Customer Host role in 2018, I was unexpectedly offered the role of Train Manager due to my performance in the assessment day. Obviously I jumped at the chance but as I started the course, I found I wasn’t prepared for what the role involved. I took the difficult decision to leave the course to continue with being a Customer Host and build my confidence and skills.

I applied for the Train Manager role again in 2019 and passed the assessment. After a year in the Talent Pool, I began my training in November 2020. I wouldn’t have got to this point without the support and opportunities provided to me by the amazing team we have at EMR. If you’re looking to progress, my advice would be to research the role first through observing and/or asking questions - we have so many helpful and knowlegeable people in our team. Additionally, I’d recommend going above your normal duties to further your skills and gain more experiences.

Five minutes with... Mel Harrison

By Paul Mobbs, Station Duty Manager

We recently welcomed Mel Harrison to Derby station who is currently completing a secondment as a Safety Critical Customer Welcome Host. I asked her a few questions to find out how she’s getting on in her new role and how it compares to her previous role as a Customer Host.

Have you adapted to your new role working at Derby station?

I found it easy to adapt because I was already offering customer service in my previous role by engaging with passengers on board. In my secondment, I’m doing the same by meeting and greeting customers as they arrive and depart the station.

What is the biggest difference between the two roles?

Previously, the main part of my role was interacting with first class passengers on board serving drinks and snacks as well as breakfasts. I’m now engaging with all our customers as they arrive and depart at the station as well as answering questions and offering customer care assisting passengers on and off our trains.

What do you enjoy about your job role?

I really enjoy the customer engagement. I enjoy playing a part in helping our customers with travel information on a day to day basis which I find rewarding.

What do you find the most challenging about your new role?

It has to be ticket knowledge - learning about the different restrictions, ticket types and routes.

How is it working within the team?

The team have been extremely welcoming. They’ve given me plenty of support and have helped me with anything I’ve been unsure of.

What are you looking forward to in your new role?

CS Update Update CS

On Train, Derbyshire

By Lisa Davenport, On Train Service Delivery Manager

Changes in the On Train team

Huge congratulations to...

• Mel Harrison, Customer Host and Sarah Harrison, Crew Leader, both on secondment opportunities at our stations as Customer Welcome Hosts • Oli Kay, Train Manager who will be leaving us to start Driver training • Harmony Williams, Customer Host in her promotion to Train Manager Thank you all for everything you have done, we really do appreciate it and we wish you all the best for your upcoming development opportunity. Good Luck!

Good luck, Surita!

We also want to say a big heartfelt goodbye to Surita Mengri, On Train Service Delivery Manager, who will leaving us this month to start her new role as Development Strategy Manager at the Academy. Surita joined the business in 2014 and has been responsible for managing the on train staff at Derby Depot. She has supported many through their chosen development and progression opportunities and has been involved in the most recent internal talent pools with the recruitment team. Surita is now looking forward to utilising the skills she has learnt in her upcoming role and most of all looking forward to understanding and supporting the investment opportunities for the business. Thank you for everything Surita, it has been an absolute pleasure to have you in the team and you will be sorely missed. We wish you all the best for your next adventure. For those who are currently managed by Surita, recruitment is in progress and we will announce her replacement as soon as we have had confirmation.

Christmas surprises from Michelle

During the Christmas period, Michelle Thacker, Train Manager, surprised everyone with a homemade bauble which she placed in colleagues’ pigeon holes. It was a lovely touch and it meant a lot to all those she works with.

Thank you Michelle - what a wonderful idea!

Thank you from the Management team

Danni Blavins and the On Train Service Delivery Managers would like to say a big thank you to all frontline staff for their continued hard work, dedication and commitment during this ever-changing world we are currently living in. It does not go unnoticed and though we appreciate this new lockdown has caused varying degrees of anxiety, we are extremely proud of each and every one of you. You have helped to keep our railway moving and for this, we can not thank you enough!

Reminder: Close call app

Our COVID on train working group meet regularly to consistently review and discuss our risk assessments.

Please remember that the Close Call app is available on your smartphone devices to report any incident or situation where safety is compromised.

Your Voice results

Throughout January we have held meetings with various representatives from all grades of our On Train team to discuss the most recent Your voice survey results. Through these discussions, we have looked into what we can do at Derby to improve aspects of the business that affect you. We will update you further regarding the outcome of these meetings and what we have decided to action and implement for 2021.

Stations, Leicestershire

By Rachel McGinley, Station Duty Manager

CS Update

It has been a busy few months in the Leicestershire patch. I would like to thank everyone for their hard work over the festive period. As a network we have also experienced several instances of disruption but the teams in Leicestershire have worked hard and supported each other. This is always great to see and the teamwork is what has kept us all going this year!

Instead of holding our annual Christmas Buffet this year, Station Duty Manager, Nick Allen organised a charity auction in aid of LOROS, Leicestershire’s main adult hospice - a cause that became very close to our hearts in 2020. Thank you to all those who participated and for your generosity, we have raised an incredible £534! We are hoping to organise a cheque presentation in the near future when Covid restrictions permit this.

Well done to Andy Hooper-Love for raising £100 for The Donkey Sanctuary by selling Christmas shortbread cookies. He also donated over 100 biscuits to his local food bank to spread some festive cheer.

This month, we will say goodbye and good luck to our colleague and station mentor, Walter Mark-Hansen, who will be retiring and heading off into a much warmer climate! Walter has had a fantastic career in the rail industry, including working at Clapham Junction before joining us in the East Midlands six years ago. We’d like to thank Walter for his dedication and commitment to the Leicestershire area; it’s safe to say he will be missed by all, not least for his musical performances at our social events over the years. Good luck Walter!

Finally, we would like to wish Rachel Rundell many happy returns and welcome baby Elsie, the newest addition to our railway family

On Train, Nottingham

Reward & Recognition The latest Reward & Recognition update included seven of our train crew. Well done to Alex Spittle, Senior Conductor; Gemma Reed-Kerr, Senior Conductor; Kim Worton, Senior Conductor; Michael Marriott, Senior Conductor; Pete Giddens, Senior Conductor and Munir Khan, Train Manager who are all setting great examples of going above and beyond for our customers.

The update also included a spotlight story on Chris Kaplin, Senior Conductor. Well done Chris, a great example of ‘Delighting our Customers!’

“Chris was stranded on a train for several hours following disruption on the line. During this time he managed his passengers well, keeping them on the train and in good spirits. Despite poor WiFi & signal, Chris kept all passengers up to date and even helped to re-arrange missed connections and advise on onward travel. He did all this with his usual great sense of humour, professionalism and without complaining, giving the best impression of EMR in difficult circumstances.”

Lockdown babies!

Congratulations to our colleagues who have recently given birth to the Nottingham train crew of the future: Toni Marshall, Senior Conductor with twins, Thea & Nico; Danielle Sewell, Senior Conductor with baby Theo; Beth Barker, Train Manager with twins, Teddy George & Noah Louie; Peter Carr, Station Duty Manager with baby George Henry and our most recent addition, Abby Alloway, Train Manager with baby Harry James.

Wedding bells!

Congratulations to our colleagues who have recently got married including Kim Reader, Senior Conductor; Jade Peterson, Senior Conductor, Georgina Garbutt, Senior Conductor and most recently, Lucy & Dave Mulligan, Senior Conductors.

Happy New Home Happy New Home to Steve Pryce-Dyer, Senior Conductor; Kim Worton, Senior Conductor; Hannah Rimington, Train Manager and Clare Talor, Customer Host. We wish you happiness and wonderful memories in your new home.

CS Update

On Train, Sheffield

By Mark Evans, On Train Service Delivery Manager

The end of 2020 proved to be quite challenging for all - what should have been a time for celebrating Christmas and spending time with loved ones began with the majority of the country having their tier restrictions increased and the threat of another lockdown.

Due to the current pandemic, we have seen many of the changes we expected to see in December 2020, postponed until May 2021. However, the changes we did see such as the introduction of Class 180s on mainline diagrams meant that production of the December rosters was still a challenge. The local reps at Sheffield took this on successfully to ensure the timetable change passed without significant issue.

It’s also worth noting that we’re starting to see the gradual withdrawal of the HSTs at EMR. On the 11th December, we saw VP185 powered Blue HST Power Cars worked from Neville Hill to Sheffield for the last time. The last service seen at Sheffield was the 1B23 06:34 Leeds to London service with Sheffield Train Manager, Claire Schofield working on train. We now will only see the Red HST power cars making the journeys until Spring 2021 when they will be removed from service imminently.

I would like to thank everyone that took the time to fill in our Your Voice survey and provide us with your feedback. We had 86% of you participating in the survey and we are in the process of producing our plan to further improve things for you at Sheffield. Please continue to feedback to any member of the Management team here at Sheffield.

Finally, we can not begin to thank you all enough for your hard work, effort, support, dedication and commitment throughout the pandemic. You have all been nothing short of exemplary and we are filled with pride when people talk about Sheffield depot. We understand that the further announcement of another lockdown in January may have caused some doubt and uncertainty. I would like to reassure you all that we are here for you and support is available to you if you need it - you are not alone!

My induction experience

By Oyin Ogundipe, On Train Service Delivery Manager

My induction experience has been uniquely shaped by our current social climate but it’s allowed me the opportunity to travel on our network, get to know our amazing frontline train crew (although I do believe I will still be encountering new faces for a while to come), visiting our other depots and meeting our management team.

Since joining in October last year, there’s been plenty of things to keep me on my toes with the varying implications of COVID-19 and a freight train derailment at Sheffield which had our On Train team supporting our Stations counterparts with the management of the disruption. At a point it felt like something went wrong on every train I travelled on, thankfully that has now passed!

I am very much looking forward to continuing to meet those of you that I am yet to meet, liaising with our teams on ideas for the refurbishment of the Sheffield on train booking on point and completing my Guards course.

One thing I can say with absolute certainty is that even in the face of the challenges presented by the pandemic, I continually encounter a real sense of comradeship and teamwork at EMR and have observed everyone’s dedication and hard work! Thank you to everyone for making me feel so welcome.

Stations, London & Northants

CS Update

Platform 4 at Wellingborough opens In December, Wellingborough Platform 4 was finally opened for business for customers and trains. The new platform at Wellingborough will be integral to our electric trains and services operating towards London St. Pancras. This is the final part of platform works at the station and follows closely on the tails of the platform extensions being completed.

Allan Hilton retires Train Running Supervisor Allan Hilton finally retired on 19th December 2020 at the young age of 70 years old. Allan was an integral part of the team in London. Allan is hoping to have some form of goodbye when restrictions allow. This will be advertised across the business to allow colleagues far and wide to say goodbye and give him well wishes of support as he begins a well-earned retirement. Good luck Allan and thank you from the railway family!

London babies Congratulations to Station Duty Manager, Mark Dalley who has recently become a father to Hope Elizabeth Rose.

Further congratulations to Customer Service Officer, Mo Shabbir and his wife Mafeen on the birth of their son Muhammad Hasan Shabbir.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to Donna Aitken, CSO Corby; Jane Grimshaw, CSO Kettering and Stuart Peile, CSO Kettering. Many happy returns to all of you

Christmas at St Pancras Despite the pandemic, we continue to spread some festive cheer through the Christmas period. Here’s Travel Advisor, Jennifer McMaster with our beautiful Christmas tree.

Getting out and about...

Here’s a little summary of what our Customer Services leadership team have been up to in the last few weeks...

Neil Grabham, Customer Services Director

Our Exec team were out and about over the Christmas period to bring some festive cheer, chocolates and to check on your wellbeing. Neil Grabham, Customer Service Director visited our teams at Norwich, Nottingham, St Pancras, Kettering and Lincoln.

Dave Meredith, Head of On Train

Dave was really pleased to hear how well our trainee Senior Conductors did when they were giving their pledges on how they are going to deliver brilliant basics and memorable moments.

He’s also been travelling the network to check on our team’s wellbeing during the current lockdown.

Matt Stacey, Head of Stations On the Sunday 27th Dec, Matt visited the Nottingham, Sheffield & Derby teams, armed with mince pies to spread some festive cheer while we were carrying LNER customers due to the closure of Kings Cross.

Matt has also spent time with our Learning & Development team at the Academy taking part in Retail training and focusing on season tickets.

Andy Mead, Head of Crime & Security

The newest member of the Leadership team has been getting to know the EMR network and colleagues with a visit to every hub station through December.

He also surprised Lincoln & Boston with some chocolates during the Christmas period.

Out & About dates: March/April 2021 Kettering station, Tuesday 16th March: Paul Barnfield, Operations Director Norwich station, Wednesday 24th March: Tim Gledhill, Finance Director Leicester station, Tuesday 20th April: Lisa Angus, Projects Director

Sheffield station, Thursday 22nd April: 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 706347.