Critical issues in station management

The Masterclasses held by the IRO’s South East Area get away from the ‘jug and fill’ format, in which the lecturer pours out the message and the audience drinks it in. Three presenters offer short, contrasting views on a subject, and the floor is then thrown open for discussion.


John Glover FCILT MIRO MPWI reports

Operations Masterclass, Monday 20 March 2006
‘What is it that makes a station good, or otherwise?’ Thus Gary Mewis set the theme for the evening and introduced the speakers. John Beer CMILT, MIRO, Track Access Manager, First Capital Connect, highlighted five elements:

Train dispatch.
Train planning and staff rostering need to be right, so that the trains turn up at the time you expect them. If this happens regularly, you are creating a virtuous circle. Dispatch must be prompt and safe, and you need to monitor events to ensure that this is so.

Train running information
Today’s customers expect good information systems, and this promotes punctuality. Systems must work correctly, and they need maintenance. Staff must also know how to interpret them. The right people will get the results, day in, day out. Also, they must look at what is happening on the platform, not just sit watching the cctv.

Managing mayhem
You need a clearly understood plan, setting out who does what and when. That makes it much easier to stay in control and communicate what is happening to passengers and staff. Getting this right will influence how quickly you can recover. Stations need to be run by operators, not engineers, though wholehearted cooperation between TOCs and Network Rail is highly desirable.

‘Thinking the unthinkable’
Sadly, terrorist threats are now perhaps an even more potent source of large scale problems than a serious train accident. Dealing with the various forms that these might take is a large and complex issue, but it must be faced.

Cost control
There are always many desirable projects seeking funds, but never lose sight of value for money criteria. In any event, station costs need to be predicted and delivered, just like any other parts of the business.

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Phil O’Hare, Performance Manager, Victoria Line Trains followed, with a look at station management from a London Underground perspective. He too identified a number of critical areas:

Customer service
London Underground has formal measurable targets to fulfil, such as Excess Journey time. Measurement of time covers access, egress and interchange at stations, ticket purchase, platform wait and the train journey itself. This reflects the efficacy of the physical management of the system, which challenging in its complexity.
Passenger ability to negotiate it is reflected in the information index; how easy is it find one’s way around? Real time information is an important element, which is seen as such by customers. Lack of information breeds uncertainty, which can lead people to become unreasonable, and they end up thoroughly dissatisfied.
Another tool is that of the ‘mystery shopper’.

Safety
Safety and security is a big issue and embedded in today’s culture. LU has multiple Safety Key Performance indicators against which performance is measured, and much has been done to develop relationships with BT Police and enforcing authorities such as HMRI and LFEPA. However, in view of the investment programme and station modernisation, a key area profiled for staff and managers is compliance with Fire Regulations (Section 12).In particular, this covers training and minimum staffing requirements, and the condition of the environment and infrastructure.
Crucial to performance and success is effective deployment , development and engagement with front line managers and staff.

Commercial
Partnership and robust management is key to achieving the best performance from LU’s suppliers in relation to maintaining ticketing assets, infrastructure and facilities, and progress is being made. However, failures still cause intense aggravation for passengers and staff. Engaging senior managers from the suppliers with the front line staff and demonstrating the difficulties caused is critical to correcting the situation. LU’s suppliers have, after all, their own reputation and credibility to consider.

People
Staff and their attendance are an all important measurable element. Local managers are fundamental to managing this element of the business.
The future brings new challenges. Thus Underground system renewal poses questions on how to achieve service delivery, on time – but the benefits also need to be obtained. There are a large number of relationships to be fostered, while Oystercard is changing ticket purchasing habits. But whatever the reality, how do people perceive the organisation is performing?

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At a good station, according to Sarah Kendall FIRO, Independent Consultant and Senior Research Fellow of the Wales Transport Research Centre, staff are dressed to look like staff and give timely, appropriate and accurate information freely. They also use whistles to hurry things along and the station has platform clocks. At a bad station, thugs (also known as the revenue protection squad) stop you at the top of the stairs and demand your ticket before you can put your bags safely. The train turns out to be a single car unit almost our of sight down by the starting signal. There is no prior warning as to its position on the platform or train length.
She offered a list of do’s and don’ts:
• Don’t assume passengers know as much as you do, especially if there is disruption. A train from Cardiff advertised as stopping at Bristol Parkway isn’t going to Temple Meads, but how many customers know that?
• Don’t assume that they are stupid, either. They know very well that two successive trains departing Platform 2 at one minute intervals is at best unlikely.
• Tell people what they need to know before they have to ask in matters like replatforming trains. Plan ahead.
• Check the adequacy of station allowances. Many still assume use of slam door stock, and staff underestimate dispatch time with door locking.
• On temporary engineering timetables, show the service of all operators in publicity, not just your own.
• Doors that say ‘Duty Manager’ or ‘Station Supervisor’ shouldn’t also say ‘Private, no entry’.
• Don’t let station staff hunt in pairs. Dissuade them from behaving as if a coiled spring links them to the messroom interior. Likewise, don’t let them disappear if there is trouble.
• Successful station management, she concluded, owes much to attention to detail and the effective and supportive leadership of the front line staff.

A lively discussion followed. One well received contribution suggested that the key was thinking about what you could do, not what someone else wasn’t doing. Much was felt to follow from organisations and attitudes. Regimentation is not necessary, but balance is.
Because a train arrives late and was booked to stand two minutes, try and recover as much a possible by a quick dispatch. Don’t just say, ‘that’s the time it takes’. How are dwell times decided anyway, and shouldn’t they vary according to time of day etc? This affects achievable headways.
Getting a view from the signalbox is helpful, as for signallers seeing life from the station. There is a need for mutual cooperation; if you have five hundred grannies and a brass band waiting to board a train, it isn’t a good idea to swap platforms at the last minute.
How much authority should individuals have to make changes to meet operational difficulties? Putting the customer first is fine, but not perhaps at the expense of producing major and avoidable problems. Decisions have to be made, sometimes very quickly.
The railway is no longer seen as a job for life and you may have to pay more to get the staff you want. What are today’s job expectations and sources of motivation?

Finally, much amusement was caused by a new version of one of those rectangular yellow signs seen on station platforms. ’Stand well back from the platform edge, or you will be sucked off’, it said. Yes, you read it right. Perhaps a perusal of Dale Carnegie’s ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ (1936) would be in order? Fortunately it was a spoof.

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The Institution sent out a 2006 desk calendar free-of-charge to all our members, and intends to provide a choice for 2007: desk calendar, wall calendar or pocket diary. Again, this would be free of charge to all members with a paid-up subscription or corporate membership.
If you have a preference for one of these options, please complete and return the form below and send to Claire before 16th June, otherwise one will be sent out at random. We are also considering offering you the chance to purchase diaries and calendars in future, in addition to your free one provided as part of your membership, so your comments and ideas would be useful to enable us to assess how to progress this. A printable form is provided for you to fill in. Please follow this link: Calendar questionnaire (pdf format)

All our Area events are listed on our website: www.railwayoperators.org and you are very welcome to attend events in your own or any other Area. Unless the listing says otherwise, you do not need to advise us that you intend to be there.

South East Area
Monday 15 May 2006, Richard Bowker CBE (former Chairman of the SRA) “Railway Economics for Operators” Operations Masterclass.
Monday 10 July 2006, “Basic Signalling” Operations Masterclass. 
Monday 18 September, Speaker (TBA)
Monday 20 November 2006, “Track for Operators” Operations Masterclass.
Our Operations Masterclasses are designed to act in support of the IRO Education Programme. Those enrolled on, or considering taking part in, our Degree or Diploma Courses, run in conjunction with Glasgow Caledonian University, are encouraged to attend these events.
South East Area meetings take place at the Union Jack Club, Sandell Street, opposite Waterloo and Waterloo East stations. Doors open at 18:00 for an 18:30 start. For more information, or to contact the South East Area, please email: Southeast@railwayoperators.org

North West Area
Our May meeting will take place on Wednesday 24th May and will be a visit to the new Transpennine Express Depot at Ardwick. Details of this event will be circulated to North West Area members nearer the time.
To contact the North West area on any matter, please contact Clive Evans on 01270-629009 or email us at: Northwest@railwayoperators.org

Midlands Area
Monday 15 May – An emergency training exercise run by Link Associates, venue Trent House, Derby
June – summer outing visit to Great Central Railway
To contact the Midlands Area on any subject, please call Julia Stanyard on 0121 345 5030 or email: Midlands@railwayoperators.org

South West Area
The IRO South Wales and West area is hosting an all-day event on Monday 8th May 2006 focusing on the construction of Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 project, including the construction of the rail link.
The visit will start at Paddington at 11:00 for a presentation by Lawrie Hall, Chairman of the IRO’s South West Area, and Bentley Solutions of Horsham on ‘signal sighting in a black hole – virtual reality modelling’, and buffet lunch. We will travel, courtesy of Heathrow Express, on the 12:25 to Heathrow Terminal 4 where a coach will pick us up for the tour of Terminal 5. This is expected to take about 2 hours. We will then be conveyed back to Paddington by Heathrow Express. There are 30 spaces available for this event.
To book a place on this event, please contact Lawrie Hall (mobile 07891 231738, or home 01453 822150) or email him at: lorryandvan@goatcott.fsnet.co.uk
People are welcome to mix and match the talk/demo and the visit.
We also have a summer social event on Saturday 15th July to include the Bodmin and Wenford Railway in Cornwall, followed by dinner and overnight in a hotel. Full details will be made available shortly. Our thanks to Roger Webster, General Manager of the Bodmin and Wenford Railway for his offer of free travel on his railway and a tour of the facilities there.


Scottish and Irish Area
For information on all Scottish events and matters, please contact Scottish@railwayoperators.org or phone Jim Summers, Acting Chairman on 01324 625284

North East Area
All North East Area meetings normally take place at 1730 for 1800, at York.
For further news on the IRO in the North East contact us by email at: Northeast@railwayoperators.org