WEEKLY
TOGETHER
TAKING THE NORTH FURTHER | THURSDAY 07 DEC 2023
SAYING GOODBYE TO FELIX On Sunday (3 December) we said goodbye to the beloved Felix, Huddersfield station’s Senior Pest Controller. She was put to sleep after the discovery of a terminal illness, in the comfort of Angie Hunte (Huddersfield Station Manager) and Jacqui Cox (Team Leader). Felix was born on 17 May 2011 and six weeks later joined the Huddersfield team. Angie said: “Felix was more than a cat; she was a beloved member of our station family and left her paw prints on many commuters’ hearts as they passed through the station. “Her presence brought smiles to visitors from around the world, making Huddersfield Station a special place. We will miss her dearly.” Felix was beloved by so many, not just TPE colleagues, with her internet fame starting in 2015 when Alan Hind, a regular commuter at the station, created a Facebook page for Felix. When Felix was promoted to Senior Pest Controller and given her own name badge and hi-vis, her popularity skyrocketed and she had over 100k followers by the end of 2016. Her internet fame soon went global, with visitors from across the world making the journey to Huddersfield just to meet Felix. Felix’s popularity was also a force for good, with herself and Junior Pest Controller, Bolt, raising over £240k for charitable causes. They’ve also entered the literary world, with two best selling books written by Kate Moore: Felix the Railway Cat and Full Steam Ahead: Felix. Felix will be greatly missed by the Huddersfield Station team and TPE colleagues from across our network.
THE FELIX AND BOLT CALENDAR To honour Felix’s memory, we are encouraging those wishing to fundraise or donate to consider buying the 2024 Felix and Bolt annual calendar. The calendar will be available from the end of next week and will be advertised on the Felix and Bolt Facebook page.
PERFORMANCE – PERIOD 9 WEEK 2 Time to 3
Target 51.58%
48.86% NO Target 94.11%
Time to 15 86.93% Cancellations Target 5.63%
7.84%
NO
Cancellations have halved on the previous week and time to 3 is above target.
WHAT HELD US BACK? Cancellations have doubled compared to the previous week and Action Short of a Strike has reduced availability of colleagues. Poor weather at the end of the week and on Saturday contributed to declining punctuality.
HOW THE WORLD HAS MOURNED FELIX Since the announcement of Felix’s passing, thousands of well wishers and fans have left messages of condolences as they mourn the loss of Felix. Here’s just a few of the comments that have been left:
Andy McClements, Interim Business Assurance Director and previous Team Leader at Huddersfield, was on Channel 5 news last night sharing more about the sad news of Felix’s passing. Andy talked more about the impact Felix had on TPE and at the station, and the amount of online support that has come from Felix’s many fans around the world. He also shared an update on Bolt and the part he’s played in holding up the fort.
TALKING TRU WITH COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE NETWORK Members of our TRU Communications Team spent the last few weeks talking with colleagues about the Transpennine Route Upgrade. Together with colleagues from Northern, drop-in sessions were held in Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, York, and Newcastle. The engagement sessions were an opportunity to speak to colleagues faceto-face in mess rooms and at the gate lines about TRU. Colleagues were asked specifically about the communications they were receiving about the programmes and how these can be improved upon. More of these drop-in sessions are planned in the near future for colleagues across the network to learn more about TRU and our communications regarding the programme. Stay tuned for upcoming engagement sessions, as more will be announced through The Loop.
BILLIONS ANNOUNCED FOR TRU AND GREEN LIGHT TO START PROCUREMENT OF NEW TRAINS On Monday (4 December), our Managing Director Chris Jackson joined colleagues from Network Rail and Northern at the site of what will be the new grade separated junction at Ravensthorpe, as Rail Minister, Huw Merriman MP, announced the next round of funding for the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU). The additional £3.9 billion investment ensures improvement works can continue between Manchester, Huddersfield, Leeds, and York. This work will improve our services for our customers over the coming years. In addition to this, we have been
given the green light to begin the procurement process for a new fleet of trains. These are very early days, but immediately following the announcement we have announced to the supply chain that we intend to start the process that will, eventually, see up to 55 new trains across our network. The exact detail of these trains is yet to be finalised and will form part of that process, but this is an extremely exciting announcement and a real signal of intent for the future of TPE.
SHARE YOUR STORY TPECommunications@tpexpress.co.uk
LONG SERVICE MILESTONES FOR NOVEMBER A big congratulations to the 25 colleagues that celebrated long service milestones in November:
THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE TEAM GIVES BACK Last week our Customer Experience Team were out across the network giving back to our communities, volunteering for Cash for Kids. Cash for Kids is a charity dedicated to improving the lives of children from birth to 18 that need it the most.
In 2022, the charity supported over 450,000 children across the UK. The team volunteered with the charity to pack around 1,000 gifts for children across Greater Manchester to open on Christmas Day. Well done to the team!
5 years Adam Hegarty, Conductor, York Benjamin Mather, Conductor, Manchester Airport Christopher Evans, Conductor, Manchester Airport Christopher Stewart, Conductor, York Daniel Hyde, Conductor, York Dominic Cazaux, Conductor, York Gary Middleton, Conductor, York Kamran Rahbarzare, Resource Deployment Allocator, The ROC Lisa Wilson, Conductor, Preston Michael Dunbar, Conductor, Newcastle Perry Baker, Conductor, York Rob Green, Retail Operations Manager, BWH Sadie Backhouse, Conductor, Manchester Airport Thomas Fell, Resource Deployment Planner, The ROC 10 years Ammar Ahmed, Conductor, Glasgow Emma Thomson, Driver, Glasgow Gavin Mulloy, Driver, Glasgow Ian Kay, Driver, York James Gorey, Driver, Liverpool John Ledgeway, Revenue Protection Assistant, York Lyndsey Welsh, Customer Information Controller, The ROC Matthew Maudsley, Driver, Manchester Piccadilly 25 years Keith Walden, Driver, York Paul Hutchinson, Driver, York Russel Yates, Driver, Cleethorpes
FESTIVE SAVING WITH MYREWARDS The festive season is fast approaching. Do you have some gift shopping to do or want to get a head start on your plans for 2024? MyRewards, our colleagues discount site, gives you access to deals from hundreds of retailers, helping you save on those special gifts. Here’s a few gift ideas that’ll help you save on your gifts for others or those important treats for yourself: • Are you wanting to head into the new year in style or is your special someone wanting a new look for Christmas? With MyRewards you can get 10% off at Marks & Spencers, ASOS, and Primark • Giving the gift of a memory: if you want to gift someone an experience they’ll never forget, you can save 20% at Red Letter Days or Virgin Experience Days • Do you want to save on the food for the big meal? With MyRewards you can save up to 7% at Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, and more Remember you can also shop on the go with the SmartSpending app, available on the App Store and Google Play Store. If you’re having any issues accessing MyRewards email victoria.snell@tpexpress.co.uk or tpe.hradmin@tpexpress.co.uk.
GOING THE EXTRA MILE! We’re always being sent comments about our amazing colleagues, here’s just a few we were sent last week:
SHARE YOUR STORY TPECommunications@tpexpress.co.uk