Btl_4

The magazine for everyone at London Midland

stars! inside this issue...

06 ALL SYSTEMS GO! 07 MEET PATRICK 14 KEEPING CUSTOMERS HAPPY 20 WIN! AND MUCH MORE...

ISSUE 4 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2012

www.londonmidland.com

2012

hello!

happy new year

2

Happy New Year everyone!

I’m Jayne, a Procurement Administrator with the team based at 102 New Street.

I

’ve been in the industry for almost six years now, and as part of my role I work with many departments from across the business. Which means I’m always meeting new people.

I’m also part of the Between the Lines Editorial team, which meets every other month to share stories from across the company and ideas for what makes good reading for our colleagues.

In this issue of the magazine, we have a special focus on the Ambassador Awards – our 2011 winners are an inspiration to all of us and Anna is a really well-deserving winner. Check out their stories on pages 8-13. Our new MD Patrick Verwer presented the awards; turn to page 7 to find out more about Patrick and why he chose London Midland. Find out more about our NPS scores (p14).

Plus, this issue we’ve two great competitions for you – you can enter to win a comedy night out (p19) and a Red Letter Day gift card worth £200 (p20).

I hope you enjoy the latest edition, and do keep sending us your story ideas, and tell us what you want Check out more of in Between the Lines.

Jayne

nes n the Lico Betweetlm .uk e. in agaz at www.b

Jayne Latta Guest editor

it’s all about you...

This is your magazine. So if you’d like something including, please get in touch. We’re looking to hear from individuals or teams with a story to tell. Are you working on something new, different or interesting?

What do you do in your spare time? What matters to you at work?

What do you want to know more or less about?

w his tle

st op

@

Contact Between the Lines at btl@londonmidland.com or call 01904 731185 If you are emailing from home, do leave your name so we know who to get back in touch with.

...is your quick stop for what’s happening across London Midland – follow it along the bottom of Between the Lines.

All the latest news

let the games begin…

Well done to Rebecca Freeman, General Manager West Midlands, who made it to the final selection stage to carry the London 2012 Olympic Games flag.

Although “a bit gutted” she didn’t make the final cut, she’s proud, and is looking forward to watching the games later this year. Last May, Crewe Driver Mike Hatton ran in the trial event for the 2012 Olympic marathon.

So, with the games fast approaching, tell us what you’re doing for them.

Are you planning a special ‘Olympic-themed’ event, heading to Stratford to watch the games live, or tuning in from home? What’s essential games viewing for you? Tell us what you’re doing at btl@londonmidland.com

simply the best

Well done to our owning group Go-Ahead, for achieving the highest transport ranking in a major UK Carbon Reduction league table.

The new Carbon Reduction Commitment energy efficiency scheme performance league table lists more than 2,000 UK businesses according to how they manage energy use. Go-Ahead is ranked at 93 in the table – the highest ranked transport operator in the UK – and at the

covaersr st

same level as Tesco plc.

We’ve played our part in this by installing automated electricity and gas meters at larger sites, successfully reducing site energy use and cutting our carbon emissions by over 20 per cent per customer journey.

Our Ambassador Award Winners

Between the Lines magazine is managed by Richard Baker and designed and produced by scarlettabbott – 01904 633399 | scarlettabbott.co.uk

� awards nod! your magazine Between the Lines has been shortlisted in

the Magazine and best New or Re-launched publication categories of the Institute of Internal Communications Central Region Awards. The awards are on 24 February.

868

3

years service

record

breaker

rvers our long se and retirees

good times Thank you to everyone who helped to make our annual London Midland Long Service and Retirement Awards ceremony a success.

Our 18 long servers and 31 retirees, who have clocked up an amazing 868 years service together, enjoyed dinner and a presentation at The Council House in Birmingham on 23 November.

Worcester Conductor Manager Adrian Banks, who presented an award, said: “It was an excellent event, very well organised, and a nice tribute to everyone who attended.”

We’re proud to have won the coveted Modern Railway’s Golden Spanner award for the most reliable new electric train in the UK. Our distinctive green and black liveried Siemens Class 350/2 fleet achieved a full fourweek period with no technical failures.

This is equivalent to 382,240 miles between failures – and it sets a new UK record. 97 per cent of our trains are in service every day, working hard for our customers, and this is recognition of a huge amount of work by our people.

showers,loos and air con!

“Thank you for being patient and understanding during Gateway project works at Birmingham New Street.”

That’s the message to everyone who works at the station from Gateway Liaison Manager Mark Haslam.

Fitters and cleaners based in the East Dock area have already endured a “fair bit of disruption” as an external wall was replaced ready for a roof fitting.

On the plus side, we’ve managed to get some new showers and

� see me

toilets for female colleagues and a redecorated mess room, neither of which were part of the original scheme.

Our revenue protection colleagues could also move to newer accommodation in 2012.

But, says Mark, probably the biggest change for our people is to traincrew accommodation.

This will move in 2013, and for the first time ever will benefit from natural daylight and working air conditioning.

Mark says: “We’re starting to put some of the legacy 1960s facilities behind us. There’ll be more disruption for colleagues as work continues, but the lasting benefits will make

We take crime against our colleagues, customers and company very seriously.

Statistically, serious attacks on our colleagues and customers are rare, but we take each and every incident seriously by working with law enforcement agencies to help properly investigate each case. Here are two recent cases.

spit’s a dirty habit One of our conductors was verbally abused and spat at by a customer who refused to buy a train ticket near Lye. The conductor’s soiled shirt was sent to British Transport Police DNA laboratory technicians for analysis and a suspect was identified. The man was arrested and charged with common assault in October. He appeared in court and received a three-month Community Order, three-month Curfew with electronic tag and fined.

doing the time While sleeping on a train near Aston, one of our customers felt a tug on her handbag.

A man was trying to pull the handbag away from her. The woman resisted, but the man punched her in the face several times before running off. The victim suffered a fractured cheekbone and muscle damage to her eyes, which required surgery. The incident happened in April with the man appearing in court in November.

He admitted the offence and was jailed for 90 months.

it worthwhile. The new station is going to be a real landmark for the city – an iconic building and workplace.”

To keep up to date with progress at the station and find out more about the impact on you and our customers, visit www.newstreetnewstart.co.uk

I’m a QR code – a kind of barcode. So, instead of finding a computer and keying in a web address, you can hold your smartphone’s QR scanner over me, and I’ll take you straight to the website. Simples!

4

how we’re doing

th3

num63r5 How we’re performing

Period 8

88.6

PERIOD 8

PERIOD 10

PERIOD 8

PERIOD 9

83.8

London Midland PPM

9.7

86.6 86.4

84.8

Regional PPM London and (Non-London Services) South Eastern PPM

%

11.8

%

Period 10

14.2

%

89.3 89.3

London Midland MAA

(all of the above industry periods)

customer complaints

Period 9

PART FULL

PART FULL

87.1

Period 8: 6,314 complaints. This was significantly higher than expected at that time of year, with Delay Repay claims increasing by more than 120 per cent. Continuing infrastructure problems and negative feedback about the leaf fall timetable on the cross city line caused complaints to rise to 6,957 in Period 9.

In Period 10: complaints fell to 3,903, in line with levels we would expect at this time of year.

Period 8

6,314

up

92.4%

INDUSTRY AVERAGE

91.1%

SOUTHEASTERN

90.9%

NATIONAL EXPRESS EAST ANGLIA

90.6%

SOUTHERN

90.0% 89.3%

VIRGIN TRAINS

85.1%

(PPM latest MAA (Moving Annual Average) Period 9)

up

Period 9

6,957 down Period 10

Find out how our PPM compares with the rest.

PERIOD 10

88.2

90.1

PERIOD 9

86.0 86.0

minutes

Period 10

135 143

PERIOD 8

minutes

PERIOD 10

%

96 94 92 90 88 86 84 82 80 78 76

10,346

18,592

Period 9

241 250

PERIOD 10

minutes

Period 8

112 231

Period 10

PART FULL

16,089

Period 9

compare CHILTERN

cancellations

PERIOD 9

Period 8

PERIOD 9

Our customer journey growth in Periods 9 and 10 is high because of the snow, which prevented people from travelling in those periods last year.

delay minutes

PERIOD 8

customer journey growth

how we

3,903

Performance Process Manager Nathan Thompson explains: “Industry rail Period 10 ended with a PPM result of 88.2% against a JPIP target of 87.5%.

As a result, the PPM moving annual average (MAA) rose 0.8% to 90.1% and we’re currently just 0.1% behind a JPIP target of 90.2%. We’ve agreed, with Network Rail, to a recovery period target of 91.1% in Period 11.

Delivering this, and the JPIP targets for Periods 12 and 13, will ensure that we achieve JPIP MAA target of 90.4% in March. The Regional sector achieved a period result of 88.6%, 1.2% better than its JPIP target. As a result, the moving annual average rose to 90.8% ahead of its 90% target. The London & South Eastern sector achieved a PPM result of 87.1% – the best result since August 2011. Our moving annual average rose 0.8% to 87.7% and represents the first increase in 12 periods.”

5

trains, and a skydi e!

Ex-Royal Marine turned Driver Instructor Mike Thorne talks speed boats, being a tough man and going back to the classroom…

MIKE THORNE

quickfire League or Union Union

Rock or pop Rock

Sunday roast or take away Sunday roast

Before joining the railways I was a rifleman, landing craft operator and specialist military instructor for the Royal Marines.

As an instructor, I trained people to drive the high-powered hovercrafts used by the marines at that time. It was great fun driving around in ‘speed boats’ all day!

“Then I joined the railways in 2005, training at Bletchley as a driver, and last year qualifying as a driver instructor. It’s a very different life to being a marine, but I like it, my colleagues are a good laugh and we have a lot of fun. The practical application of engineering and knowing all of the mechanical ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ are similar in both jobs too.

“Today I’m driving, and have seven trips to do, three times to Euston from Milton Keynes and back to Bletchley. For the first two trips I take

one of the new drivers with me. He’s a qualified freight train driver and due to pass out as a customer driver soon, so we’re ‘topping up’ his experience. While he’s driving I oversee everything he does, giving him some tips on this route and on braking points. I do the last trip myself, and then that’s my shift done.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be taking some of the drivers through refresher training on the intercom system on the Class 350 as part of the CD day, which will also cover SPADs and a ‘red alert’ video – it’s all safety-related stuff.

“Then I’ll probably go home and head to the gym. I like to keep very active, so I also run and play golf when I can. For the past three years I’ve done the Tough Guy challenge with some colleagues here and friends from Leighton Buzzard where I live. We’ve raised almost £4,000

Bungee or skydive Skydive – I haven’t done one yet!

“It’s good being an instructor as well as a driver because I now split my time between the practical and theory which keeps it varied – every day’s different.” in sponsorship for Alzheimer’s Disease charities.

My mum had the disease so I like to raise money for Alzheimer’s charities.

“It’s good being an instructor as well as a driver because I now split my time between the practical and theory which keeps it varied – every day’s different.

6

all systems

GO!

Great news: following positive results from our on-track testing, and the green light from the rail regulator, we’re on track to increase the maximum speed of our Class 350 fleet from 100 mph to 110 mph and introduce a high speed rail service from December 2012.

W

e recently passed our critical ‘go/no-go’ decision point, and now it’s full steam ahead,” says Programme Director Mike Haigh.

Crewe Driver Stuart Rushton was the first to take the Class 350/1 train to 110mph on test between Stoke and Macclesfield. He says: “I’ve driven engines at over 100mph in the days of British Rail, so I’m used to the speed.

The biggest difference for me though was the handling – it was a smooth ride, and there was no noticeable difference in noise or vibrations between 100mph and 110mph. The braking ability was very good too – I was really impressed.” Crewe Lead Driver Manager Paul Brooksbank said it went well.

Later, a longer 12-carriage formation was tested at between Tring and Rugby.

Bletchley Driver Instructor Kevin Wiseman took the train from Rugby to Milton Keynes and Leighton Buzzard to Milton Keynes during testing. He says: “The only issue was that the pantographs were breaking contact with the wire at 110mph.

That means we will need to modify the pantographs, but apart from that, the trains adapted to the higher speed easily.”

Mike explains how we got here: “It’s been a long time in the planning. Our decision to go ahead with ‘high-speed’ services wasn’t taken lightly: it depended on several crucial elements lining up and it’s all coming together.

“First, we needed to be confident in the trains’ ability to operate safely and effectively at 110mph, and we’re pleased they were. We may need to make minor modifications to pantographs to improve their aerodynamics, but overall, we’re satisfied by the performance under test conditions.

“From a contract point of view, the Office of Rail Regulation has now approved in principle our request for additional slots on the West Coast Main Line to run our extra services, and we have completed our consultation to amend our franchise agreement with the Department of Transport, so that our service level commitment reflects

the improved train service.”

It means that we can now make engineering changes to our Class 350/1 fleet, equipping them for the higher speed.

The extra services and shorter journey times are fantastic news for our customers and a vote of confidence in us from the Department of Transport and the Driver Steve Allen tests the Class 350/1 Rail Regulator. train at 110mph

7

meet

Patrick

Between the Lines catches up with our new Managing Director Patrick Verwer…

I really enjoy the dynamics of a great train operating company and being in the middle of all of the action,” says Patrick. “That’s what attracted me to this role, and to London Midland.

“It’s a great business to lead, and I’m looking forward to building on our success. I want us to work together to retain our franchise, to grow and to continue to provide our customers with excellent service.”

Patrick joined us at the start of the year, from our owning group Go-Ahead where he was Managing Director of Rail Development. Before that, he headed

erwer Patrick V

Did you k now…

Patrick wa s

a senior police offi cer in Rott He was w erdam. orking wit h Netherl Railways o ands n crime re duction projects w hen the tr ain operato offered him r a job as a area man n ager. “I hav e n’t looked back since ,” he says.

ick Poantr…

up Go-Ahead’s aviation business for more than three years.

Patrick first came to the UK in 2002 to run the Serco/NedRailways Merseyrail concession in Liverpool, following more than ten years with Netherlands Railways.

“I’ve worked in many different industries,” says Patrick. “The railway is one of the most complex there is.

The logistics behind delivering the customer experience are hugely impressive.

I never fail to be humbled by all of our colleagues, with their different expertise and experience, and how they come together to make everything click into place so that we deliver good quality services on time. It’s all down to our people, who do an amazing job.”

He adds: “I like to see people, teams and companies develop, and so I’m looking forward to meeting you all over the coming weeks and months to hear about the issues you are facing.

family I’m married to Mieke.

We have a son Jelle, 20, who is studying sports therapy at the University of Birmingham and our daughter Nienke, 19, is a performing arts student.

I also have an Irish terrier called The Fonz (above).

sport My big passion is cycling.

When I can find the time I also practice Iaido – a traditional Japanese sword martial art.

music I like everything from jazz to grunge, including Jackson Browne, Pearl Jam and Simon and Garfunkel.

I’m probably giving away my age here, but Rory Gallagher is one of my heroes.

holidays West Cork in Ireland is stunning. There’s a tiny village, called Allihies, on the Beara Peninsula where the world isn’t far from perfect.

le ... and inspiring peop British Triathlete and triple World Ironman Champion Chrissie Wellington, and the Italian cycling legend Fausto Coppi!

8

our shining stars

ambassadorawards

truly

outstanding N

othing can quite prepare you for being stranded on a train, in the pitch black, with around 600 customers looking to you for answers, information and ultimately action.

Well, that’s what happened to me last year,” says Anna Dellutri, who’s just been named our Ambassador of the Year 2011.

“

“It was really nice to be nominated and recognised for doing a good job.”

Our winner’s story Anna, a Senior Conductor at Northampton, became a customer hero last year. Overhead wire had wrapped around the pantograph of the Northampton to Euston train she was working on, bringing it to a standstill inside Primrose Hill tunnel. There, for more than

three hours and in complete darkness, Anna looked after and comforted hundreds of customers, many of them vulnerable.

Anna recalls: “The train was full of customers, and after about 30 minutes we lost the lights . It quickly became hot, sweaty and people were panicking.

“Instinct kicked in and I just kept thinking about how I’d feel if I were a customer in this situation – a mother with a newborn baby, a man having a panic attack. My heart really went out to our customers. It wasn’t a nice situation to be in. We had several newborn babies on board, one that was only three days old, and a man who started having a panic attack. I had to

keep my cool and just help everyone as much as I could.

“My main priority was to keep people informed about the situation, and reassure them that our team was doing all it could to resolve the problem, and move us safely on.

“The one saving grace was that if I moved to the back of the train I could get one bar of signal on my mobile phone. So, I remained with the customers, handing some emergency light glow sticks to mums who needed to change or feed their babies, and I communicated with the driver and control room with my phone.”

Anna adds: “After about three hours, the train was ready to go again, and there was light!”

247

9

colleagues nominated for an Ambassador Award in 2011

“As well as managing the day-to-day challenges of your roles you exceeded our expectations and did something amazing.

Congratulations on winning an Ambassador Award.”

A team was waiting for the train at London Euston so colleagues could thank customers for their patience.

Surprisingly not one customer complained.

In fact, they heaped praise on Anna for her “coolness” and “helpfulness”.

Our 2011 Ambassadors Managing Director Patrick Verwer announced Anna’s Ambassador of the Year 2011 win at an exclusive awards event on January 25.

It was held at Jamie’s Italian in Birmingham, and attended by Ambassador Award winners, nominators, line managers and directors.

Patrick said: “Whilst train failures are rare, they are still a reality in our industry.

How you managed a particularly difficult situation really impressed us. In complete darkness you dealt with unwell customers, parents with children and got the support of your travel industry colleagues.

We usually get complaints about delays, but on this occasion we actually received many letters congratulating you.”

Anna, whose fiancée Ricky Dunnett is also a Conductor at Northampton, received a certificate, engraved trophy, and £1,000 in shopping vouchers. She told Between the Lines: “Wow, I’m a bit shocked, speechless even! Thank you very much. It was really nice to be nominated

and recognised for doing a good job.

I love my work and really take pride in what I do. To be here celebrating with all of the other Ambassadors is an honour.”

Patrick thanked all of last year’s Ambassador Award Winners for their outstanding contributions to the business, saying: “As well as managing the day-to-day challenges of your roles you exceeded our expectations and did something amazing. Congratulations on winning an Ambassador Award.”

All our Ambassadors enjoyed a three-course lunch and the chance to share their stories with each other.

Turn over to read more Ambassador Award winner stories...

10

our shining stars

leading lights In 2011 you, and our customers, nominated 247 London Midland colleagues for an Ambassador Award. Of them our Cross-functional awards panel selected 12 to win an Ambassador Award. Here are their stories…

“Award-winning service.”

David Whitley Head of Marketing

As well as his ‘day job’, David’s also worked hard to develop our Twitter presence. He’s put in many extra unpaid hours to provide what’s now become an award-winning service for our customers.

David provides customer information via Twitter constantly.

An example of this is when bad weather conditions were affecting services on 20 December 2010. He provided Twitter updates and dealt with customer responses and enquiries “for what seemed like 24 hours”.

The reach of the account is potentially thousands of customers, stakeholders and press. It has helped our customers, and also improved the perception of our business among our critics.

“A wonderful example to us all.”

Sattish Kakkad Retail Travel Assistant, Milton Keynes

‘Scottie’ as he’s known, has become “a bit of a legend”.

We’ve received lots of positive feedback from customers and colleagues about his dedication to great service.

In one month last year three customers wrote in thanking him for his excellent customer service. Scottie also retrieved lost property for a customer after his shift had finished. He regularly steps into the delivery manager role,

supporting the management team at Milton Keynes.

And on Boxing Day 2010, Scottie went to Bletchley and Leighton Buzzard stations in his own time to check that everything was in order for the next day.

Scottie jokes: “After doing this for 38 years I don’t get many complaints! I enjoy what I do and I’ll keep treating customers the way I’d want to be treated if I were them.”

“A shining example who uphold our values.”

Anthony and Andrew Crump Revenue Protection Inspector and Train Service Manager West Coast

These brothers were off duty and travelling back from the Autosport International Show 2011, when the Coventry to Birmingham New Street train they were on stopped.

“When we hadn’t moved for about five minutes we knew something was wrong, so Anthony and I went to find the conductor and offer our help,” says Andrew.

Overhead line problems meant that the train was left without power for around three hours.

Andrew kept control updated and he and Anthony talked to customers to keep them informed.

They also helped calm a claustrophobic customer and a potentially volatile woman who was drunk. Andrew adds: “I’m sure that anyone who works for the company would do the same in that situation, but we’re both over the moon to have been recognised as Ambassadors.”

12

1111

selected to win Ambassador Awards

“Prompt action helps reduce delays.”

“I used some emergency rope to secure the door shut so that the driver could take the train to a depot for repairs.”

Lloyd Williams Technical Engineer

Lloyd was on his way home when the train he was on developed a technical fault.

Using his initiative, he offered to help the senior conductor on board.

Not only did Lloyd diagnose the defect, but he also created a temporary solution so the mainline could be cleared – reducing the financial penalties we incurred.

“The drivers’ cab door was off its runners

and that’s something that’s only usually fixed in depot,” explains Lloyd. “I knew that we’d have to wait for the fitters to arrive, and that while we did we’d be creating delays for London Midland and other train operators. So, I used some emergency rope to secure the door shut so that the driver could take the train to a depot for repairs.”

“A customer service star.”

Jill Dyson Retail Travel Adviser, Milton Keynes

“His team’s champion.”

John Mills Depot Manager, Birmingham New Street

John was nominated for an Ambassador Award by his team, and is described as “an example to us all”. John has an instinctive grasp of how to treat people to get the very best from them.

He’s his own team’s champion, putting their needs before his own, and is deserving of the title ‘leader’.

One of his team told the judges: “John has consistently challenged the business to do the ‘right thing’.

He doesn’t take no for an answer if he believes he is right, and invariably he is! He’s also forced the business to reconsider some key decisions with the support of the People Champion’s Forum. John says: “I’m humbled because I just see it as doing my job. I started out as a technician 21 years ago, and as I’ve risen through the ranks I’ve always believed we should treat everyone the same no matter what their grade is. We all have a job to do after all.”

Our customers love Jill for providing a great service, and making them feel valued. One customer told the awards judges: “I’ve been commuting to London for 11 years and Jill has been at the station for many of those. She has a particular way of dealing with customers that makes us feel special and valued; like our enquiry or purchase actually matters. I’ve regularly heard her cheery manner with customers at the ticket office; she’s excellent.”

Jill says: “Good customer service happens because a lot of other people work hard at Milton Keynes too. It’s nice to be recognised.”

12

our shining stars

“A credit to London Midland.”

Jag Mattu Senior Conductor, Coventry

Driver Dave Forrest collapsed at the controls of his train between Canley and Tile Hill. The emergency brake kicked in, and as the train stopped, Jag went to the cab to find out what had happened.

“Dave was in a heap on the floor,” says Jag. “He was foaming at the mouth and had a big bump on his head.”

Faced with a scary situation, Jag made a personal announcement requesting medical help. Four people responded,

as well as Wallace Weatherill, who was onboard.

Dave says: “Jag got me out of the cab and put me in the recovery position.

I was unconscious for about 20 minutes, with a serious head injury. I know from speaking with him that he found the whole thing frightening, but remained calm and professional. He’s also been in regular contact since to see how I’m doing.”

“Exceeding expectations.”

“An outstanding job.”

Julie Knight Senior Conductor, Coventry

Julie’s quick-thinking not only reassured a very concerned customer, but also led to some extremely positive feedback on web sites and Twitter.

A customer was travelling back from a meeting at London Midland when someone tried to steal his bag.

He told Julie what had happened, and she reassured him that CCTV cameras would have picked it up. The would-be thief then reappeared, and he didn’t have a travel ticket.

Julie phoned Northampton station, where the train was later met by security.

Julie and a colleague handed the man over to the security team at the station.

She then went back to the train to tell the customer what had happened and reassure him. The customer blogged and tweeted his experience and praised Julie for her actions.

Julie says: “It’s great to be recognised; our conductors do amazing things for our colleagues and customers every day.”

Simon Turner Acting Head of Resources

“It’s great to be recognised; our conductors do amazing things for our colleagues and customers every day.”

We received nominations from managers and directors for the work Simon did to make the Class 150 Farewell event so successful. The day was widely celebrated by industry partners and the press, and Simon helped to raise more than £10,000 for the Railway Children charity.

Simon did an outstanding job of pulling together people from across the company, with many donating a day’s pay to charity.

Contributions from every department made the event a great success and we’ve received very positive feedback from customers.”

Simon says: “This was a team effort, and I’m really proud.”

1313

“Taken us to the top of the league.”

Jonathan Wilcox Data Analyst

“I was determined to improve our position and I worked on an action plan to raise the quality of the data.”

Data isn’t particularly glamorous, but it’s essential for delivering a high quality and professional service. Jonathan has achieved what no one thought possible – through his hard work he’s increased our performance on Safety Information Provision from 26th on the ‘league table’ to 1st! It’s a fantastic achievement that demonstrates months of hard work.

“I was determined to improve our position and I worked on an action plan to raise the quality of the data,” says Jonathan.

His commitment to raising the standards was commendable.

He worked extremely hard, put in extra hours and rallied other departments to provide the information needed. He also helped to teach and coach temporary workers on top of his own workload. What’s exceptional is that he took the league table task as his personal responsibility and wanted to be the ‘best’.

“An asset to the company.”

Simone Carter Customer Service Assistant, Worcester

Customers at Worcester Foregate Street can’t say enough good things about Simone. She’s proactive, supportive and has demonstrated time and again that she cares about our customers.

The Travel Centre was nominated as one of our locations to be part of our focus for Customer Service Week and Simone really took ‘the bull by the horns’. She worked hard to find branded season ticket wallets for the week, dealt with other TOCs, such as First Great Western and Scotrail, to provide customers with timetables and literature. Simone then contacted the Severn Valley Railway which, at her request, loaned old guards hats, red and green flags, old lanterns and even bunting, which she accepted and returned in her own time. She also designed a customer feedback box. Simone’s service is first class and she always performs above and beyond the call of duty.

m ke their day Every day our people go out of their way to do something amazing for their colleagues or customers, and it’s important that we recognise them for it. Plus we all know that a thank you makes us feel great too.

Do you know someone who has gone that extra mile for their colleagues or customers? Find out more about how you can nominate them for an Ambassador Award at www.mylondonmidland.com Tell their story, and if they win, they’ll receive a certificate, limited edition ‘Ambassador’ pin badge and £100 in vouchers for individuals and £200 for teams.

Not only that – they’ll also be invited to an exclusive annual awards event – where the overall Ambassador of the Year wins a special glass trophy and £1,000 in vouchers!

 y p p h 14

passenger survey

Keeping rs custome

The latest National Passenger Survey Scores are in – and they show that 85 per cent of customers express overall satisfaction with our services – that’s one per cent higher than the national average across all train operating companies!

Action priorities

A

ccording to the latest National Passenger Survey (NPS) from spring to autumn 2011, we achieved our 2015 target for customers satisfied with how we coped with delays (this rose by an impressive 9 per cent).

We also achieved our 2015 target for train upkeep and repair (this rose by 7 per cent).

Station upkeep and repair improved by 5 per cent and the cleanliness of the inside of our trains by 6 per cent.

Our customers also report a 5 per cent rise in station colleagues’ attitude and helpfulness and a 4 per cent improvement in the availability of on-train staff.

The cleanliness score for our trains’ exteriors rose by 8 per cent.

Commercial Director Richard Brooks says: “Well done everyone. These are really pleasing, solid results. Thank you for helping us to get into this great position.

“They also highlight areas for improvement, which we should see as a real opportunities for change for the better and ones that we can continue to work on. So, what does this mean for all of us now? Well, attention to detail is key. We should be joined up in our work together to enhance our overall business performance, and keep focused on what our customers want and need from us – quality services that are on time.”

The ‘national picture’ The NPS results are gathered twice a year by independent watchdog Passenger Focus.

This time they reveal that customer satisfaction with Britain’s railways varies widely among different train companies and routes. You can read the main report at www.passengerfocus.org.uk

We need to work hard to:

Improve our train punctuality/ reliability

Address concerns with the Class 153 and 321 trains: each received ‘train’ ratings that are 15 per cent or more below target Improve security at Birmingham North and Milton Keynes

Improve cleanliness in most areas

Resolve issues at North London stations where 6 out of 15 factors failed to match their targets by 15 per cent or more

richard brooks

And our survey says…



Each quarter we ask customers what they think about us.

In our Customer Survey Scores for Quarter 4, overall satisfaction with journeys is:

85% (matching our franchise target).

This shows that (although our performance dipped) all of our hard work ‘shored up’ this score.

So there’s a lot of customer goodwill.

70

taking c ntr l

Our new Joint Control room at Euston is helping to reduce customer complaints, and it’s improving the working lives of our colleagues.

E

uston’s state-of-the-art control opened in September, bringing us under the same roof as colleagues from Network Rail and Virgin Trains. Working together in the same space is already improving how we manage station colleagues, share information between colleagues and operating companies and it’s enabling a ‘whole station’ approach to customer information services during disruption and delays.

“It’s a new way of working,” says Lead Delivery Manager Steven Conroy. “And it means that our colleagues now receive and share information much quicker

than before, which is then passed onto customers in real-time.

They’re getting a better service, and complaints are dropping, which is good for team morale.

It’s making an incredible difference to our working lives.”

Euston was chosen as the first site for a joint control room due to the high number of customers who use the station. It serves around 70 million customers every year and is the busiest ‘mixed traffic’ rail route in Europe.

Euston control opened in September when, coincidentally, Passenger Focus published the results of a Euston customer survey.

It had asked 726 customers who use train services at Euston station what they thought about station services and facilities, and their priorities for future improvements.

The top priority for improvement was ‘information about train times/platforms during times of disruption’, and the second, ‘real-time information about train times/platforms’.

The new hub houses one of our controllers, one from Virgin Trains and two from Network Rail (one to share information with all relevant parties and the other to make customer information announcements). Each looks after its respective company, ensuring that they share and deliver information to the right people when they need it.

Paul Nixon who works as part of the London Midland control room team says: “The improvement on the previous office is incredible.

We’ve created a professional working environment with brand new equipment that is fit for purpose.”

15

million customers every year

shift controller paul bitmead

“Colleagues now receive and share information much quicker than before, which is then passed onto customers in real-time. They’re getting a better service, and complaints are dropping, which is good for team morale. It’s making an incredible difference to our working lives.”

16

Subject: A request

old and new side by side

Class150 reborn!

I’ve been on the railway for 37 years, four years with London Midland. I have followed the progress of the railways through the years, but will be sad to see the Class 150 trains disappear from this region. They have served this area for a good few years. Could I suggest or recommend that one of the three remaining Class 150s that will stay with us is repainted into the London Midland livery.

I understand that the three units remaining with us are 150/105/107/109.

I know many colleagues would support the idea of a re-paint/re-livery. I led a team in 2009 to repaint Tyseley Class 08 shunter from GWR Green to the present London Midland Livery for the Tyseley 100 year celebration. Hope there is support from management. Many thanks.

From: Tony Shaw, Technician, Tyseley depot Thanks Tony, yes we intend to either repaint or vinyl all three remaining Class 150 trains in the new livery. We’ll keep you posted on when this will be happening in a future issue of Between the Lines.

Reply from: Tim Harper, Head of Supply Chain Management.

the old class 150 train

and our customers said…

It was really well planned and thought out with the visit to the Severn Valley Railway being the special highlight. Please pass on my thanks to all involved in the organisation and running of the tour.

Mike Drake Thanks for an excellent day out.

Dean Jones

Thank you for a very enjoyable day out, very interesting and good to see a sizeable donation to a worthwhile charity.

I hope you can run further trips!

Paul Warry As an enthusiast, it ticked all the boxes of specialised train covering some rare routes at a very cheap price. Your staff, in volunteering to run the tour and to donate their wages too, was a great advert for London Midland. Perhaps some ideas for other rail enthusiast tours in the future.

Phil Bennett Between the Lines reserves the right to edit letters for publication.

spot

90%

17

is my mission

on the

Sara burd

Our Facilities Technical Clerk Sara Burd is something of an eco champion, and a Good Samaritan…

Network Rail. Part of that involves our waste management contract, making sure our stations and depots are clean and tidy.

What does it involve?

One day I’m speaking with contractors and updating our

waste records. The next, I’m arranging for our general waste bins to be replaced with mixed recycling bins.

I’ve made it my mission to raise our recycling rate to 90 per cent.

I’m…

I was… a bit shaken up by it

because I know two people who have cancer and want to help in some way

I was… working on a

went to Birmingham Magistrates Court in September

What’s your day job?

I’m part of the Facilities team, and based mainly at Tyseley depot, where I ensure teams are working within the guidelines set out by

the heart of the matter Richard Cooke, a Senior Conductor at Birmingham New Street

train travelling from Lichfield to Longbridge last July

When a… customer

assaulted me

The customer…

was arrested by the British Transport Police at Birmingham New Street and charged with assault by beating, possession of a Class B controlled drug and criminal damage

The case…

He… admitted the charges against him and was sent to prison for ten weeks (suspended for 12 months), ordered to pay me £100 compensation, £200 compensation to the British Transport Police and made the subject of a 12 month supervision order

I decided… to donate my compensation to Cancer Research UK,

You’re also a volunteer, right?

Yes, with our Incident Care Team.

What do they do?

We help customers by giving them practical and emotional support

If you’re… the victim

of a crime on our railway you should contact the British Transport Police.

after they’ve been affected by a major rail incident, such as a crash.

We’ve helped a customer who was assaulted near Tame Bridge, people who’ve witnessed fatalities at Selly Oak and University stations, and customers affected by a serious fire on a train near Leighton Buzzard.

How do you help people?

I help individuals, their families and friends in the hours and days following an incident. I also give them information, advice and access to medical services and food, travel, child and elder care, and temporary accommodation if they need it.

I can be called up at any time and to anywhere on our rail network, or to a hospital or a customer’s home.

What’s in it for you?

I like being able to help people in their hour of need. It’s rewarding to be a ‘Good Samaritan’.

Can anyone volunteer?

Yes, but because of the instant nature of the role, traincrew and control room colleagues can’t apply.

Want to know more about Cancer Research UK? Go to www.cancerresearchuk.org

Our Incident Care team is looking for volunteers.

To find out more, email our Strategy and Planning Manager Tina Salt at tina.salt@londonmidland.com

work/life

We’re talking... marathon fit!

a marathon is

26.2

miles

18

We’re a dedicated bunch of people, but having the staying power to take on a marathon requires some serious mental and physical fitness. And, with the London Marathon on the horizon, here are Emma and Simon’s thoughts on getting marathon fit…

Do you have

the stamina?

EMMA MORGAN

“A long-distance running event like a marathon, which is 26.2 miles, requires plenty of preparation. Whether you’re getting ready for a marathon for the first time, or a seasoned competitor, when it comes to your mental and physical training the best thing to do is to ‘pace’ yourself. Build your stamina and endurance levels over a period of time by starting about four or five months before the race.

“Trying to do too much too soon, will cause you to burn out or injure yourself before you’ve even started. So, begin with a training programme that will help you to build up your stamina by Simon James exercising every other day, then week by week try to increase the time, distance or type of training you do. It’s important to vary the exercise to make different muscles work harder. If you always work the same muscle groups, Colleagues who ran the the less dominant ones will get last year said: lazy, and that could cause injuries.

Birmingham Half Marathon “And then, in the 24 or 48 hours ist!”

“Get a good physiotherap before a race, relax. You’re not going er, City Line nag Ma ail Ret ing Act , to lose any fitness by resting the day Mark Lawton before your marathon. But, if you feel p to stabilise your core “Train off road, it will hel like you need to, do a slow 20 minute your joints. Wear in muscles and strengthen run the day before.” r big race,

top tips

rs before you your clothing and traine nds or colleagues to frie ily, fam and run with make it fun.” al Manager Rebecca Freeman, Gener w Street Ne 102 ds, West Midlan “This is a good place to find tips and advice.” www.virginlondonmarathon.com

“What you eat and drink in the run up to a marathon determines how well you perform on the day, almost as much as the amount of training you do.

Your body needs the right ‘fuel’ to help prevent you from burning out.

“So, while you’re training in the months and weeks leading up to your marathon, make sure that you eat small healthy meals often and drink plenty of water.

Exercise will dehydrate you, so it’s important to put back the fluids you’ll use during exercise.

“In the 24 or 48 hours before a race, carbohydrates are really important. Eat pasta, rice, root vegetables and cereals to give you a slow release of energy throughout the run, during which you’ll burn more than 2,000 calories.

“There are some great diet tips, exercise plans and recipes at www.runnersworld.co.uk – take a look.”

10

one in

19

get the winter blues

Your regular ‘how to’ guide offers advice and tips and tricks to help improve your skills at work, and for life.

beat the winter blues

1 2 Feeling blue? nights are

More than a myth

the re shorter, e The days a of us will b n te in e n o d n s a e r, lu ge b lon ter om the win ne million suffering fr an o th re o m , In fact mild right now. xperience e UK will e th e in av h le r p o o , pe ion te depress D) A (S r e to modera rd o ffective Dis Seasonal A r. over winte

There’s sound sc ientific evidence to support the idea that the season can affect our moo d. Most scientis ts believe the prob lem is related to the way that our bo dies respond to daylight.

So, if you’re goin g through a bout of winter blues, lack of daylight is probably playin g a part.

34 Let there be light But you

can help the w ay you feel by turning on lights as soon as you wake up. Trying to get ready fo r work in the dark will on ly make you m ore sluggish.

Summertime levels of light in the winter can help, so yo u could try us ing a lightbox: visit www.amazon .co.uk and search for ‘lumie light’.

can make Winter blues tes such d carbohydra an s od d. sugary fo pasta and brea as chocolate, el fu ht rig e put th Don’t forget to d an gh ou th in your body fresh fruit eat plenty of . and vegetables

56 Get out!out

ubt ab There’s no do good for is it – exercise ell as your w as l ta your men If you’re . physical health mbat it by co n, w cold and do d out! getting up an

Fuel your fire you crave

Help is here The Sea

sonal Affect ive Disord Associatio er n can help you, visit www.sad a.org.uk o r write to SAD Associ ation, PO B ox 989, Steyning, B N44 3HG.

A COMEDY NIGHT OUT! They say laughter is the best form of medicine, well we agree. That’s why we’re offering one Between the Lines reader the chance to win a comedy night out for up to four people, courtesy of the award-winning Glee Clubs in Nottingham, Oxford and Birmingham. There’s comedy every weekend at The Glee Clubs – find out more, or book a night out at one of their venues at www.glee.co.uk For your chance to win this comedy night out, put the word ‘comedy’ in the title of an email and send your name, job title, location and contact details to btl@londonmidland.com

by Friday 2 March.

10,000

20

£

hearts H

of gold!

for the Railway Children charity

a £200 Letter Red gift caDays rd

uge congratulations to our big-hearted colleagues and customers on raising more than £10,000 for the Railway Children charity.

The money was raised on our farewell to our Class 150s tour last year when a Class 150 carried 326 customers along some rare routes including the preserved Severn Valley Railway. Around 20 of our colleagues also gave a day’s wage to the charity.

Organiser and Acting Traincrew Resources Manager Simon Turner, says: “It was a great day, bidding farewell to the Class 150s which are being replaced by the new Class 172, and raising so much for charity.”

Our customers really enjoyed it too. Turn to our inbox (page 16) to find out what they said.

Fancy racing a Ferrari or taking the wheel of a monster truck? Or, if you want to stay on terra firma, how about a game of snooker with John Virgo, a weekend escape for two or just sitting back and being pampered?

Well, the choice is yours with our great prize of a £200 Red Letter Days gift card.

magic!

A

ndy Crump, Train Service Manager West Coast, is running the Lichfield Half Marathon on 6 May to raise money for Make-A-Wish Foundation UK. Andy says having his son Henry, now two, and another son or daughter on the way in April has spurred him to improve his health and wellbeing.

“I’ve decided it’s time to make a big change to my life for the benefit of my family. I’ve quit smoking and am losing weight by exercising at the gym. When I set out, I could only e link to Part of th rity skydive just manage to jog half a mile on the c 3) ne’s ha treadmill. Now, I’m training for a half Mark Pay ge (Page 16 Issue pa or s g n in o is sp ra d marathon – the target is set and I’m fun ke to If you’d li on looking forward to it.” got lost. ttingham o N in e iv d r y e c sk n a is h ary for C 12 Febru , please visit To sponsor Andy, or find UK h rc Resea .co.uk / out more, please visit kydiving s k .u y t ri cha www.justgiving.com/ erPage.

Fundrais 124 = Andrew-Crump Id e ? x asp

oops!

Andy Crump

If you’re the lucky winner of our prize, you could choose from hundreds of experiences throughout the UK, from the chilled to the adrenaline-filled!

For your chance to win, simply answer the following question:

Q: Where can you find more info on nominating colleagues for an Ambassador Award?

Put the word ‘Red’ in the title of an email and send your answer, with your name, job title, location and contact details to btl@londonmidland.com or text your answer and details to 07530 973042.

@

The closing date for entries is Friday 2 March.

The winner will be selected at random.

Please note there is only one prize.

to Retail Travel Advisor Bilal Kazim Khan, from London Euston, who won the Nikon digital compact camera competition (Issue 3). When we called Bilal to tell him he’d won the competition, he said: “Oh wow that’s wonderful, thank you. I’ve never won anything before but thought I’d give it a go. Whenever I go to parties or on holidays I’m sort of the unofficial photographer so this camera will be very good.”