Julian Drury
flexibility that I’ve spoken about and becoming more responsive to the changes that customers want from us.’
A key initiative for this year, which c2c has already volunteered to do, is smart ticketing. ‘It’s the one big thing that the rail industry has barely touched,’ says Drury. ‘There is no equivalent to London’s Oyster card for most of the national rail network, but there are plans to roll it out across London and the south east finishing in 2014, and we’re very keen because our customers have been asking for smart tickets for some time.’ Drury explains c2c’s vision is to have a single,
initially plastic, ticket that can be used from anywhere on its network, through London and out the other side without having to be changed. ‘You could load other products on it, for example if you want to make a different journey from your season ticket, and we’d love to include car parking as well. It would become a really easy way to save people having to carry pockets full of change or worry about missing a train because they are trying to pump coins into a parking meter.’
The only way is Essex Just how far c2c has become enmeshed in the fortunes of Essex is evidenced by the fact that Drury is a board member of one of the new Local Enterprise Partnerships, part public, part private bodies set up by the government to replace a number of development agencies including the old regional development agencies.
‘I’m involved because in regional terms, c2c is quite
a significant sized business, and a large one in South Essex terms,’ explains Drury. ‘We’ve got responsibilities way beyond running train services, because we’re physically in the middle of the community and because so many people use us for other purposes. We’re a
conduit for business development just by the nature of what we do and we’re quite active in the local community in that we have extensive links with local authorities and community groups.’ A part of that involvement includes thoughtful
schemes such as providing free two-month season tickets to successful jobseekers registered with Job Centre Plus. Again Drury becomes animated, ‘It covers that really horrible period after you’ve started and before you get paid for the first time, when you’ve got no cash and could be caught in that catch 22 situation where you can’t afford to commute.’
People make the difference
Another part of my pre-interview day out involved a tour around C2C’s East Ham depot, or as Drury describes it, ‘Our lovely East Ham depot’. Built in 1962, it certainly holds its own having just moved up to fourth place in the National League Tables, overtaking several fleets that have had brand new depots in the last couple of years.
‘There is a view that you need to have a brand new, ultra-modern depot with heavy investment in order to get the best reliability,’ says Drury, ‘and while there is some correlation between equipment, facilities, investment and reliability, it doesn’t automatically make everything right – it’s also to do with the way you work and the people you’ve got and their commitment - we have people who can produce some of the best results in the UK so we’re really quietly pleased about that.’ Before we end, Drury can’t wait to add something
that genuinely shows his passion and commitment. ‘It’s a lovely business Lorna, it really is. It’s just such a pleasure to be a part of this. I’ve worked in the industry for 32 years and I’ve had more fun here at C2C than anywhere else. They’re a good bunch to work with.’ Long may it continue.
FEBRUARY 2013 PAGE 27
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