in brief... T
TfL seeking operator for Crossrail
ransport for London is seeking a train operator to run Crossrail services from May 2015. A notice has been
issued with the Official Journal of the European Union, with potential operators having until the end of this month to submit expressions of interest. Crossrail services will be let as a concession by TfL, which will stipulate the level of services to be provided including hours of operation and staffing levels. The successful bidder will run many of the stations along the Crossrail route, providing customer service and operations staff.
Born into the railways A T
commuter who boarded the 18:18 from Victoria to Ashford International at Borough Green
came off it as new mum. Southeastern driver Rob Friend put a call out for medical staff and luck was onside as a midwife, a nurse and an off-duty policeman responded to assist, alongside the woman’s partner and mother. ‘We had everyone needed right there on the train,’ said conductor Colin Brooker, ‘we were only missing the vicar to baptise the baby’. Baby Phoebe was born at around 19.40 and mother and daughter are doing well.
Satisfaction guaranteed
ransport giant Stagecoach has joined the Institute of Customer Service, the UK’s professional body for customer
service. Stuart Giddings, head of Customer Service for Stagecoach Rail, said: ‘With customer expectations continually rising, we are focusing on the value and role that an excellent standard of service plays as part of our offer to passengers.’
Join as an apprentice and earn your degree says Network Rail chief
A
round 240 places on the 2013 Network Rail advanced apprenticeship scheme are up for
grabs, and chief executive David Higgins wants parents, educators and youngsters to realise the career opportunities that an apprenticeship can bring, including a university education at work. While many apprentices rise through the ranks, NR also offers the chance to study part-time for an HNC in engineering and then onto a foundation degree at Sheffield Hallam university. The largest number of recruits (50) that NR is seeking is along the Great Western route.
Page 10 April 2013
Train drivers praised as major incident averted
First Capital Connect has praised its train drivers for their vigilance in averting a major incident on 8th March, when two large piling drills came through the tunnel wall of the Moorgate to Finsbury Park Northern City Line.
The route, used by two million City workers every year, was closed over a weekend while Network Rail repaired the damage and investigations took place. At 10.09 the driver of the 10.02 Moorgate to Welwyn Garden City service with passengers on board, saw muddy water pouring on to the roof of his train north of Old Street station and reported it. All rail services were stopped. At 11.05, a Network Rail Mobile Operations manager joined another driver on board a special empty train from Moorgate to investigate the problem. As the train approached the area at low speed, the drills came through the skin of the tunnel. The train stopped on time but the driver was shaken.
British Transport Police visited an office construction site above the line and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch and Health and Safety Executive were notified. FCC managing director, Neal Lawson, said: ‘This was a serious incident that could have ended very differently had it not been for the vigilance and prompt reporting and actions of our drivers. Whoever is responsible for this must be held to account.
Passengers with hearing loss destined for distress says UK charity
UK charity Action on Hearing Loss is urging train companies and stations to ensure they provide accurate, real-time information to avoid confusing or severely inconveniencing passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing. The charity’s chief executive, Paul Breckell, appeared as a witness at the
Transport Committee’s first oral evidence session on access to transport for people with disabilities in mid-March, to say that people with hearing loss plan their journeys in the same way as other passengers but often face real difficulties when changes happen just before or during their travel if the information is not communicated visually, immediately and accurately. The charity has a catalogue of complaints from people with hearing loss who don’t receive accessible information about changes to their journey, so experienced a poorer service in comparison to other passengers. In some cases says the charity, they ended up in avoidable traumatic situations such as arriving at a London train station instead of Bristol, or being stuck on the back section of a train which was terminated while the first section continued to its destination. Breckell said: ‘It’s vital that train companies and stations provide immediate and accurate visual information to avoid leaving deaf or hard of hearing passengers standing or heading in the wrong direction.’ Action on Hearing Loss’s tips for stations and Toc’s include: • provide all travel information - especially changes - visually, accurately and in real-time
• ensure staff are trained in basic deaf awareness so they can communicate effectively e.g. always facing passengers and speaking clearly
• locate information desks in well-lit, quiet areas so that passengers with hearing loss do not experience too much background noise and can better lip read staff
• ensure a hearing loop is available at information desks and check regularly that they work. Loop systems can help hearing aid wearers to hear the voice of staff over background noise.
visit
www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/transport
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