2006 Winners
Click below for the 2006 You Make The Difference awards winners:
Values and Behaviours
Safety
Integrity
Dependability
Excellence
Self-confidence
Can do/will do
Enthusiasm
Pride
Teamwork
Key Business Achievements
Best Customer Focus
Best Engineering Innovation
Best Environmental Achievement
Best Maintenance Project
Best Major Project
Best Six Sigma Project
Best Small to Medium-Sized Project
Best Station
Safety
Safety 365 Communications team (winner)
Through a great example of cross-functional co-operation, members of this team have brought effective co-ordination and innovation to all areas of safety communications.
One of the main safety improvements attributed to ‘Safety 365’ is a 22 per cent improvement in reportable accidents from last year.
Railway Crime Education team (runner-up)
The Railway Crime Education team organised the No Messin' Live! campaign over the school summer holidays.
The No Messin’ campaign focuses on educating young people about safe behaviours, leading to improved safety for trains, railway workforce and passengers.
Integrity
Anglia Delay Resolution team (winner)
This team maintains the utmost integrity in making sure all delays are attributed correctly, whether this is to Network Rail or not.
This has hugely increased the confidence and trust of the train and freight operators in the team’s delay investigations.
William Arnold, site manager, Manchester (runner-up)
William always demands high performance from our renewals contractors, taking the stance that the quality of the final product should be no less than what he would accept if it were for his own home.
This approach has resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of the finished article.
Dependability
Alex Hunter, ultrasonic supervisor, Perth (winner)
Alex covers a vast area reaching from Perth to Wick and Kyle of Lochalsh. Despite the travelling and hours Alex is always happy to help. He travels to Edinburgh and further south frequently at the weekends if his skills are required and to support other teams.
His attitude and enthusiasm for the job is an inspiration to his teams and they know they can depend on him.
Leaf Fall team, Newcastle (runner-up)
Whatever the weather, Joe McLoughlin and James Taylor are out there day in, day out during the autumn, working long days without complaint.
They boost train drivers’ confidence by being visible, dealing with the issues and meeting and greeting the trains at various stations.
The ultimate benefit they have brought is year-on-year savings in delay minutes attributed to Network Rail.
Excellence
Trudie Fyfe, senior buyer, Glasgow (winner)
Trudie’s support of the Maintenance function in Scotland stands out as excellent: starting from negotiating with suppliers, right through to the last link in the supply chain.
A specific area that Trudie has sorted out is the personal protective equipment (PPE) laundry system in Scotland. Benefits include improving employees’ safety through cleaner, more visible PPE.
Chilterns Permanent-Way team (runner-up)
The team's work ethic of cyclical maintenance input, targeted use of on-track machines to suit seasonal track deterioration and 'get it right first time' has placed the depot amongst the highest performing in terms of track quality and asset condition.
The main train operator, Chiltern Railways, achieved its difficult punctuality target of 92.7 per cent at year end in March 2006.
Self-confidence
Samantha Taylor, scheme project manager, London (winner)
Samantha has shown that she can happily operate in a variety of high-pressure environments, working with senior managers from Network Rail and South Western Trains, frontline Operations employees and also contractors.
Her work in driving the delivery of the Wessex fully Integrated Control Centre at the end of 2005 was a shining example of how to deliver a major project against demanding timescales.
Tom Caine, local operations manager, Burnley (runner-up)
Tom started as a graduate trainee and was thrown in at the deep end when asked to cover the area customer services role.
Following a major track renewals overrun on the Cumbrian Coast, which affected the Sellafield workers’ train, Tom showed his self-confidence by liaising with the customer at director level and arranging briefing sessions with the affected passengers to explain the situation.
Can do/will do
Neil Barnatt, head of acceptance, Engineering (winner)
Neil's determination to drive forward the trialling of the innovative Parry People Mover – a light railcar used to provide cheap local public transport on the Stourbridge branch in the West Midlands – has been a real credibility boost for Network Rail.
His work has enabled a new licensed operator to enter the national network, and Network Rail is seen as identifying pragmatic but safe ways in which innovation can be used. It’s also helped to unlock the potential of the use of super-lightweight rail vehicles on the network that could yield substantial savings in the years ahead.
William McBride, track maintenance engineer, Yoker (runner-up)
William has sorted out the compliance and maintenance gap that he inherited when he took over Yoker delivery unit.
His can do, will do attitude has generated team spirit, within not only his own team but that of his colleagues in the other Maintenance disciplines and other departments.
His attention to detail and focus on safety has meant great improvements in the area with no reportable accidents in the delivery unit since he joined.
Enthusiasm
Victoria Bascon, station officer, London Bridge (winner)
Victoria always goes that little bit further to assist customers. Day after day every task is completed with enthusiasm and delight.
Her ability to speak Spanish, French and Italian often makes her an irreplaceable asset on the ever-increasingly cosmopolitan London Bridge.
She has built genuine respect from the train operators, contractors, retail and public alike. Victoria is always on and around the station providing a visible presence in a sometimes very difficult environment.
John Gill, maintenance delivery unit manager, Reading (runner-up)
John is passionate about delivering to the customer, and leads his delivery unit with energy that enthuses his entire team.
If ever there’s a problem, he makes sure the real issues are flushed out and root causes established, enabling everyone to learn from the experience. The lessons are then embedded so that failures are not repeated.
Pride
Wessex Route Area Operations Possession Coordinators and Informed Traveller team, Paddington (winner)
This cross-functional team stands out because of their achievements and the team ethic they have developed; instilling a sense of pride that is obvious to everyone.
The team identified and championed the solution to a number of planning issues on Wessex, in particular possession versus train service conflicts that caused disruption, delay and late starts to possessions.
They maximised possession availability and delivered a reduction in train delay minutes in 2005/06 – a fantastic 35 per cent better than target.
Dymphna Kennedy, lost property co-ordinator, Gatwick Airport (runner-up)
Dymphna operates the station lost property and reception office. Dealing with distressed passengers who have lost anything ranging from a passport to a surf board, Dymphna always goes out of her way to calm any anxious customers and provide them with the support needed.
She’s even found $75,000 and an alligator – now to be seen in London Zoo!
Dymphna is exceptionally proud of her job and is always enthusiastic when dealing with customers, train operators and colleagues.
Teamwork
Doncaster Operations and Maintenance team (winner)
The Doncaster Operations and Maintenance team recognised that functional divides led to poor working relationships and that high-quality team working is essential to deliver what’s needed locally. As a result, every effort is aimed to support each other in any issues that arise.
The improved team working has been used within the Great Northern area as best practice and sets en excellent example to other local depot areas.
London North Western Integrated Control team (runner-up)
Since being co-located with Central Trains and Virgin West Coast, the control has shown remarkable dedication and teamwork.
The team exchange information, agree plans and make decisions on real-time events to improve performance and deal with incidents in a pragmatic way.
Cooperation between Network Rail and its customers has improved as there is greater understanding of each other's problems as well as quicker and more effective decision making. This has contributed to an improvement in punctuality for both operators.
Best Customer Focus
Kevin Kirk, customer service manager, Kent (winner)
Kevin has an incredibly strong customer service ethos and is always prepared to go beyond the requirements of the day job to provide a better service to the passenger and their train operator.
He is always available to sort out a problem and is excellent at championing the cause of the customer throughout our organisation.
He works very closely with Southeastern and Eurostar, and the freight companies on the Kent route to deliver a professional service to them.
Thameside Operations and Customer Services and Maintenance teams (runner-up)
This is a great example of cross-functional working, with Operations and Customer Services signallers and controllers; and Maintenance signalling, permanent-way and overhead line teams at Upminster control centre and on the Thameside route determined to deliver for train operator c2c.
Summer preparedness was very thorough, and c2c managing director Mark Hopwood was glowing in his praise of Network Rail’s management of critical rail temperatures during the hot summer.
Best Engineering Innovation
West Coast Track Geometry (winner)
Geometry systems engineer Graham Reid recognised that the information for track quality, collected by the measurement train, could be used to derive track geometry information.
He developed a tool that has been vital in assessing some 1,200 miles of track in delivering the higher line speeds for the tilting Pendolino trains of the West Coast Main Line.
This has saved about £12 million by avoiding the need to carry out on-site surveys and significantly reduces the need for track side and potential red zone work.
Remote Rail Temperature Monitoring (runner-up)
This product enables track engineers to monitor rail temperatures of critical sites remotely during summer.
It provides safety, productivity and performance benefits by reducing the time employees spend on or about the track; enabling a more efficient use of maintenance resources; and removing the need to place temporary speed restrictions on red zone restricted sites.
Best Environmental Achievement
Mustaq Haji, duty station manager, Paddington (winner)
Mustaq has gone beyond his usual responsibilities to make a noticeable difference to Paddington station by, in particular, building good working relationships with external stakeholders to enhance facilities and renegotiate contracts.
He has implemented a successful trial of glass recycling which is reducing our tonnage of waste for landfill and reducing our costs.
He has also achieved significant progress with upgrading the car park facilities and has successfully negotiated new CCTV coverage at no cost to the station.
Network Rail Structures Framework (runner-up)
The works nominated involved the need to deliver a solution to repair scour to Britain’s oldest canal, the Fossdyke (constructed 120AD), near Lincoln. Environmental reports identified significant wildlife at the site, and this, along with the historic nature of the site called for a sympathetic solution.
The solution allowed the works to take place without the need for both day time and night time possessions, resulting in about 50 per cent cost savings.
There was also no impact upon the operational railway.
Best Maintenance Project
On-Track Machine Group and On-Track Machine Planners, West Coast Main Line South (winner)
The team introduced the first four-machine parallel tandem tamping of Hanslope Junction on the West Coast Main Line. The junction is an integral high-speed cross-over on the West Coast and, as such, access is limited.
The idea to use multiple on-track machines and the implementation of an integrated design at this location has improved track quality, and therefore improved passenger comfort.
This improved track quality has enhanced the life of existing assets, reducing the overall cost of maintenance and renewal at this location.
Scotland West and East Area Services team (runner-up)
The poor and unsafe state of pedestrian and vehicular access points has been an ongoing concern in Scotland.
The area services teams offered the work banks for tender, scoped the work sites and awarded and supervised their completion, resulting in 131 access points being upgraded in 2005/06.
Probably the greatest benefit has been the improvement to workforce safety through a reduction in slip, trip and fall hazards and the morale effect of improved pedestrian access points.
Productivity in the use of road rail vehicles has also improved.
Best Major Project
Railway Communications System (FTN/GSM-R) (only a winner in this category)
This 10-year project involves creating a modern and entirely new Fixed Telecommunications Network (FTN) for the railway, as well as introducing a single, national system of secure driver-to-signaller communications (GSM-R). This will lead to significant performance and safety benefits.
From a challenging start the team has proven that the company can manage complex major projects, with nearly 6,000km of route and cable works installed, and more than 250 transmission and radio sites delivered.
The project will deliver greater reliability, safety and performance and brings control of telecoms fully in-house through a 24-hour, 7-day network-wide monitoring capability – a major step forward in making our railway a world-class one fit for the 21st century.
Best Six Sigma Project
Switches and Crossings Slide Chair Lubrication (winner)
This project has led to a change from weekly point greasing to 13-weekly point oiling.
This followed a study to test the effects of different grease and oil on the points’ swing time. It found that ‘no lubrication’ produced better results than the expensive grease currently being used.
The change to 13-weekly point oiling saves work worth millions of pounds a year – time which can be used on other maintenance tasks.
Wheel-burns and Squats (runner-up)
The project’s aim was to look at reducing the high costs of managing the rail defects of wheel-burns and squats.
The team looked at the benefits of the three different ways to solve the problem: manual metal arc welding; rail replacement and grinding.
The resulting work instruction encourages use of weld repair to remedy wheel-burns and squats – these repairs can be performed in red zone, so fewer disruptive possessions are required.
Best Small to Medium-sized Project
Liverpool Lime Street-Liverpool Central Slab Track Renewal Project (winner)
A project team was tasked with replacing an embedded rail and sleeper system with a new track slab installation over a 600-metre length of tunnel between Liverpool Lime Street and Liverpool Central station.
The works were started in April 2006 and successfully handed back early following a 47-day blockade.
The project has demonstrated our commitment to the Merseyrail network and has provided many innovative techniques which will greatly benefit future tunnelling refurbishment contracts.
Birmingham Integrated Management team (runner-up)
The team – working closely with other departments – delivered major track renewals within this busy station.
Operating within the restrictive environment of the platforms and tunnels of New Street station during a nine-day blockade over Christmas and New Year, the team completed 22 units of switches and crossings renewals of the Birmingham New Street south end.
The works were completed safely, below budget and with no adverse impact on the operational railway; without train delay minutes being incurred.
Best Station
Liverpool Lime Street (winner)
The station was brought back under Network Rail management some three years ago and since then the station team has made significant strides:
- mystery shopper scores have increased significantly and stay at a very high level
- the station is visibly cleaner both at platform and concourse level, and on the track bed
- the undesirable individuals that once haunted the station have been removed. The station is now a far safer environment in which to start or finish your journey.
London Bridge (runner-up)
The station has received little attention to its appearance for many years due to the expected Thameslink redevelopment. This has been postponed regularly, leaving the station in poor condition with substandard facilities.
The team however refuse to be disheartened by the environment and remain full of enthusiasm and commitment.
They constantly seek ways to improve the quality of service to the train operators and passengers. One example is the new system they implemented to deal with, and track, requests for travel assistance from disabled passengers.
Employees’ Choice award
Dominic Hetherington, signalling technician, Carlisle fault team (winner)
In the words of his nominator, Ian Douglas, assistant signal maintenance engineer, “Dominic gives a very large amount of his own spare time working at the local hospice, Eden Valley, looking after terminally ill patients.
“I know through second and third parties outside Network Rail of the difference he brings to the lives of the patients there. His happy, jolly disposition and manner helps to take their minds off their own problems.”
He puts in an average of 20-25 hours a week at the hospice.
David Jemmerson, national plan co-ordinator, York (runner-up)
David is a great example of someone who inspires and offers a helping hand to others, according to his nominator, Martin Cunningham, head of delivery planning. “David, who is partially sighted, is incredibly enthusiastic and goes above and beyond the call of duty, travelling the network to see operators to discuss planning issues, getting territory teams to work together and using his enormous experience to great effect to produce the engineering planning guides.
“David is forever cheerful and brings a spirit of ‘let’s get on with it’ to every territory planning office he walks into.”
Diane Shaw, team leader, facilities, Leeds City station (runner-up)
The number of events Diane has taken part in or organised to raise funds for charities over the past few years, is impressive: five sponsored walks across the Yorkshire Dales, one half-marathon, sponsored slim at work, a disco, car boot sales, and a tombola. She’s also knitted 100 scarves and carried out collections at Leeds and Manchester stations.
Earlier this year, Diane raised more than £7,000 for Cancer Research by walking the Great Wall of China, and she followed this up by running the Great North Run, raising funds for both Cancer Research and UNICEF.