Driving Seat Spring 2017

Driving
Seat
Quarterly Newsletter for Drivers
Spring 2017
Inside:
Hello from John Robson
SPAD Roadshows
New Area Driver Manager
Big Breakfast
New Street over the festive period
Class 319 training
Messroom improvements Milton Keynes
Going through a rough patch?
Franchise update
Batman vs Marathon
Supporting charities
Your Sporting Chance
On my bike for Acorns Hospice
More drivers getting on their bikes
New Driver Manager Bletchley
Welcomes & Farewells
The Stats
Spotlight On
Our People

Driving Seat Spring 2017
Hello from John Robson
A very warm welcome to the
Spring edition of your new Driving
Seat newsletter.
I hope you and your families and
friends had a good Festive Season
and enjoyed the New Year
celebrations.
As you will read in later pages,
during last year?s leaf fall period we
saw our best performance results in
four years. Thank you for your hard
work and vigilance over this period.
In this role I have the pleasure of
seeing new colleagues join the
driver grade and get a chance to
celebrate the careers of those who
retire. I would like to wish Olly
Glover well in his new role as Area
Driver Manager for West Coast
South.
Olly in turn also gains a new Driver
Manager at Bletchley, Steve
Fieldhouse who was previously a
Driver Instructor. I am sure you will
join me in wishing him every
success as part of the West Coast
Team.
Olly has made a strong start with
mess room improvements at both
Milton Keynes and Euston and
commencement of outstanding
legacy training for Class 319
traction and Abbey route.
I would also like to take this
opportunity to say a big thank you
to Driver Manager Gerald Clarke,
who retired after 26 years of
railway service.
Look out for the next CAT A SPAD
Newsletter which is out. Your
contribution to the SPAD
Roadshows and involvement from
many stakeholders was much
appreciated. Network Rail believe
these events should be industry
best practice and it is worth noting
that the number of SPAD?s has
significantly improved with only 5
during 2016 compared to the 15
we saw in 2015.
In 2017 we will continue our
commitment to improve safety and
offer you more roadshows. Look
out for the new 2017 version of
last year?s ?Drivers Hot Topic?.
Please remember this magazine is
for driver colleagues so if there is
anything you would like to see in it
please let me know or email
drivernews@londonmidland.com.
Please stay safe.
John
SPAD Roadshows
2017
New Area Driver Manager West Coast
We had six SPAD roadshows last
year at various depots.
The roadshows have been so
successful we will be doing them
again in 2017, but this time we
will be calling them ?Safety
Roadshows?
The number of SPADs had reduced
in 2016 but we can?t rest on that
? If you didn?t get chance to visit
last year please try to come along
to the next.
This is your opportunity to ask any
questions or concerns you have to
Network Rail Staff, Head of
Operations and the Driver Manager
Teams.
In December 2016, Olly Glover
took up the position of Area Driver
Manager, West Coast.
Olly was previously Area Driver
Manager, Snow Hill and Regional,
for London Midland.
His railway career historically has
involved leading teams of
controllers, signallers and
performance teams, for London
Midland and before that at
Network Rail.
Olly said, ?I am really excited to
have the opportunity to lead the
driver team for our West Coast
services. Our West Coast drivers
provide a vital service to thousands
of customers every day, serving
busy commuter markets into
London, Milton Keynes and
Birmingham, and leisure travellers
across the network.
I am planning to get out and about
on the network in the coming
months and I hope to meet many
of you soon. I really appreciate any
comments, suggestions or ideas
you might have: please feel free to
contact me on 07583 077 807,
or email
olly.glover@londonmidland.com,
and I would be pleased to arrange
to meet you?

Top Stories Spring 2017
Save the Date
Our Senior Management team is
working hard to find more
opportunities to meet colleagues
and share relevant information
more frequently.
Tom Joyner, Passenger Services
Director, and his team have put
aside some dates where they will
be treating frontline colleagues to
breakfast.
Back soon at a station near you,
the next Big Breakfast is being held
Thursday 16 February in Bletchley
from 07:00- 10:00.
This is your time to get together to
discuss with management the
things that matter to you, and to
get answers to any questions that
you may have!
If you are short on time, we will
have some ?Speak Up?cards where
you can write down your question
for Tom to answer at a later time.
Tom and his team are looking
forward to seeing as many
colleagues as possible, so save the
date today!
Northampton ? 14 March
Crewe ? 22 March
Worcester ? 20 April
Snowhill ? 19 April
Sessions start at 7:00 and end at
10:00. Look out for posters.
Birmingham New Street Christmas 2016
You may know Birmingham New
Street station is awash with people
from the middle of November as
the German Market brings in
Week 1
Friday 18 November 221,123
Saturday 19 November 230,875
Sunday 20 November 132,173
Week 3
Friday 2 December 226,197
Saturday 3 December 240,552
Sunday 4 December 144,157
thousands of people from all over
the country and 2016 was no
exception.
Week 2
Friday 25 November 242,220
Saturday 26 November 258,320
Sunday 27 November 142, 684
Week 4
Friday 9 December 223,114
Saturday 10 December 231,597
Sunday 11 December 140,013
The footfall table below shows
how many passengers came
through Birmingham New Street
over the festive period.!
London Midland customers over
the festive period:
Week 1 | 39% of footfall were
London Midland customers
Week 2 | 42% of footfall were
London Midland customers
Week 3 | 45% of footfall were
London Midland customers
Week 4 | 46% of footfall were
London Midland customers

Top Stories Spring 2017
Class 319 traction and route training
On Monday 9 January, the first
Class 319 conversion started at
Bletchley Carriage Sidings.
Led by Driver Instructor Rod
Freeman- Lopez, the first 4 drivers
to be trained were: Jonathan Castle,
Neville Fox, Ian Kennedy and Ian
Orbell. On Friday 20 January, all 4
drivers successfully completed their
Class 319 training.
They will go on to learn the
Watford - St. Albans line, after
which, another 4 drivers will start
Class 319 training.
Area Driver Manager Olly Glover
said: ?Very soon after I started at
Bletchley, I realised it was essential
that we deliver legacy traction and
route training.
Many drivers have been waiting to
sign off all their routes and traction
types to improve their knowledge
of the traction and routes that align
with their links.
Starting the Class 319 training
means we can make the job of
being a Bletchley driver more
diverse. It will expand expertise, as
well as make sure more drivers are
equipped to undertake more
routes.
The training will help us to deliver
an even more reliable service for
our customers and make for a more
varied working day for our drivers.
Congratulations to the first 4
drivers who have successfully
completed their Class 319s.
I am committed to completing
Class 319 and Watford - St. Albans
training, as well as any other
training required for other traction
types and routes".
Mess room improvements Milton Keynes
Just before Christmas, improvement
works were completed in the mess
room at Milton Keynes Central.
The work involved combining the
existing mess room with a
neighbouring room, to significantly
improve the facilities available for
drivers and conductors taking
breaks at that location.
There is more work to do, and
plans are underway to provide
additional furniture and something
colourful to go on the walls.
Area Driver Manager Olly Glover
said: ?Plans are being developed for
a refresh of the mess room at
London Euston, and I will be
working with you and your
representatives to discuss ideas for
improvements at Bletchley, for
which I will try to secure funding.
Providing clean and well- equipped
break facilities for you all is critical
to you being able to enjoy your
working day and make the most of
the breaks provided in your
diagrams, and I am committed to
improving the facilities further.
If you have any ideas or
suggestions, please contact me via
07583 077 807, or
olly.glover@londonmidland.com?.

Top Stories Spring 2017
Going through a rough patch?
Railway Mission provides a
chaplaincy service for the Rail
Industry.
The chaplaincy aims to provide
independent support in addition to
the chain of care already provided
by the industry. The service is
confidential, is available to
colleagues of all levels and
positions.
Experienced chaplains are located
throughout the railway industry
ready to offer support on a range
of issues including, marriage
breakdown, domestic upheaval,
serious illness, bereavement and
alcohol and drug dependency.
Railway Mission is a 7 day a week
24 hours a day service.
The Missions chaplains are called
to emergency situations and can
be relied upon to give careful,
meaningful help and advice.
Railway Mission is a charity and is
funded by contributions from the
Industry and private donations.
Franchise Update
Some colleagues have asked for a
franchise update.
As many of you know the bids for
the 2017 franchise have now been
submitted. Last month senior
managers met with Malcolm Holmes
to hear about how West Midlands
Rail (WMR) has been working with
For more information visit
www.railwaymission.org or email
support@railwaymission.org
Railway Mission Chaplains in
your area
Euston area:
Stephen Rowe
stephen.rowe@railwaymission.org
07967 637685
Watford - Northampton, Abbey
line, Marston Vale line:
Humphrey Gillott
humphrey.gillott@railwaymission.org
07734 739221
West Midlands:
Andrew Hall
andrew.hall@railwaymission.org
07718 971911
Worcester:
David Hardy
david.hardy@railwaymission.org
07557 430365
the Department for Transport (DfT)
on the new franchise.
As the current operator we are not
allowed to know what is in the two
franchise bids submitted by Govia
and Abellio. Even though one of the
bidders is our own parent company,
the DfT rules forbid this information
Rugby - Stafford and Merseyside:
Paul Holloway
paul.holloway@railwaymission.org
07557 430364
Crewe area:
Richard Cook
richard.cook@railwaymission.org
07718 971915
Shrewsbury / Hereford:
Simon Evans
simon.evans@railwaymission.org
07718 971916
being shared with London Midland.
We expect the DfT to make its
decision in June/ July this year. The
successful bidder will have a
colleague engagement and
communication programme planned
to roll out as soon as the outcome is
known.

Driver Communities Spring 2017
Batman V Marathon
Keith Bruton - Driver Birmingham New Street
I will be running in the Birmingham
International Marathon on Sunday
15 October 2017. This will be my
first marathon, I have however,
participated in three half
marathons and lots of other
organised runs.
I have raised money for various
charities and usually dress as
Batman when I do so, this run is
no exception.
I will be raising money for
Bloodwise (formerly Leukaemia
and Lymphoma Research) the UK?s
largest blood cancer charity, who
fund world- class research and offer
expert information and support to
anyone affected by leukaemia,
lymphoma, myeloma and other
blood cancer related disorders.
I am raising money in memory of
my mother who died of lymphoma
in September 2016.
If you would like to sponsor Keith
you can visit his just giving page.
www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com
/ KeithBruton
Supporting charities
Birmingham
New Street
Drivers and
Managers raised
an amazing
£249.16 for
The Royal British
Legion Poppy
Appeal
Birmingham New Street Drivers,
Senior Conductors and Managers
raised £213.47 on Christmas
jumper Day Friday 16 December.
Your Sporting Chance
Your Sporting Chance gives
colleagues the chance to nominate
local youth/ junior sports clubs or
teams and with your nominations,
many young people have already
benefitted from new kit and
equipment.
Last year Drivers Rob Lowry and
Gary Phillips nominated their local
clubs.
Gary Phillips said, "Drakes
Broughton Rangers are very
grateful and extremely happy with
the kit quality."
Birmingham Monarchs Cycle
Speedway nominated by Rob
Lowry bought new jerseys with
their £500 sponsorship.
In 2017 we will be supporting even more young people inlcuding Wootton St George FC, nominated by Driver
Manager Simon Miller, and Woodrush RFC U13s nominated by Driver Dean Baxter.

Our People Spring 2017
On my bike for Acorns Hospice
Dave Radford ? Driver
Before becoming a driver for
London Midland, I worked for the
Fire Service where I had the
privilege of spending some time at
Acorns Children?s Hospice. Acorns
provide care, support, fun and
laughter for children with life
limiting or life threatening
conditions and their families and I
was truly inspired by the amazing
children and staff.
To help support their brilliant work,
I will be riding 300 miles from
London to Paris this August to raise
money for Acorns.
Money can't buy more time but it
can help provide a better quality of
life and everlasting memories for
the children and their families! If
you would like to make a donation
you can support my fundraising at
www.justgiving.com/
fundraising/ Dave- Radford1
Thank you to everyone who has
made a donation. My training is
now underway so look out for
updates in the coming months.
More drivers getting on their bikes
Worcester drivers Lee Cox and
Kevin Deeprose are tackling a 300
mile bike ride from Ypres, Belgium,
to the West Midlands, to raise
money for children who have lost a
parent serving in the military.
Lee and Kevin, both former soldiers
themselves, are part of a team of
five ex- servicemen aiming to raise
£5000 with a three- day cycle
marathon for the charity Scotty's
Little Soldiers.
The cycle will start 6 July 2017
from the First Wold War Memorial
Welcome
Congratulations go to our recently
qualified recruits and drivers:
Tom Cox, Paul Meenan, Alan
Bulloch, Clive Davies | Birmingham
New Street
Best of luck to you all in your
careers with London Midland.
Farewell
Congratulations to those colleagues
on your recent retirement:
Gerald Clarke & Dave Jones
Bletchley
Steve Felton & Steve Watts |
Birmingham New Street
We wish you all a happy, long and
well deserved retirement.
and will finish at the Birmingham's
Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Lee says, "Scotty's Little Soldiers
supports hundreds of children who
have lost a parent serving in the
military, by providing experiences
from holidays to music and driving
lessons, and even help with
university fees."
To find out more about the
challenge or to make a donation
visit www.scottyslittlesoldiers.co.uk
or the Just Giving Page (Ypres to
Birmingham 6th to 9th July 2017)
New Driver Manager at Bletchley
Congratulations to Steve
Fieldhouse, who has been
appointed as Driver Manager,
Bletchley.
Steve has been a Driver Instructor
and Driver with London Midland for
many years. Prior to joining the
railway, Steve worked in the prison
service.
As he learns the Driver Manager
role and gains confidence, Steve is
already proving a valuable addition
to the team.
Competition Time
For a chance to win £20 in vouchers, answer the following question. How
many SPAD Roadshows were there in 2016? Email you answer to
drivernews@londonmidland.com, the winner will be picked at random.

Performance Spring 2017
The Stats
How we are performing and how drivers performed from each area in the last period (period 1710)
Number of Delays:
Total Train Cancellations:
North
Crewe,
Wolverhampton,
Shrewsbury
Actual: 599
Target: 591
Regional
Snow Hill,
Worcester,
Leamington
Actual: 436
Target: 941
North
Crewe,
Wolverhampton,
Shrewsbury
Actual: 49
Target: 11
Regional
Snow Hill,
Worcester,
Leamington
Actual: 7
Target: 10
West
Coast
West
Midlands
West
Coast
West
Midlands
Bletchley &
Northampton
New Street &
Coventry
Bletchley &
Northampton
New Street,
Coventry
Actual: 1388
Actual:921
Actual: 100
Actual: 16
Target: 1118
Target: 1233
Target: 24
Target: 3
2016 was our best on self delay minutes for 4 years. This goes to show how well our Traincrew managed during
Autumn and also how well the Cross City Leaf fall timetable performed.
Remember this newsletters is for and about drivers. Do you have a story or news that you
would like to share with your driver colleagues? Send it to drivernews@londonmidland.com