A good sense of humour and strong team spirit are the winning qualities Amey Rail’s Andrew Loveday brings to his work as a site manager and civil engineer on the Crossrail project.
Says colleague Andy Gibbs, ‘With over 30 years’ experience on the railway, there is not much about civil work that Andy doesn’t know, and I have seen him work with the more junior members of his team to really develop their knowledge.
‘Andy always has a ‘can-do’ but safe approach – Andy will get a job done, but he will never let safety be sacrificed, which explains, I feel, why he has such a superb reputation.
‘I have known him identify a safety concern regarding access to a new structure and then stay late in the night to build a safe working platform for access in order to prevent accidents and to drive the project forward.’
Andrew Loveday goes above and beyond contractual requirements to give clients a bespoke solution to their project needs – one of the reasons the Crossrail project is on time and on budget.
‘For the last year, Andrew has been the site manager and lead civil engineering operative for Amey Rail’s contribution to the Crossrail Outer Area Project,’ says Amey project manager, Oliver Jackson. ‘Andrew has shown great leadership and innovative skills to successfully deliver the civil engineering construction of nine separate structures.’
Based in Exeter, the job means he’s been living away from home for eight years. His experience has added great value to a young and relatively inexperienced workforce.
‘Andrew’s contribution to the project and attention to detail are a testament to his character,’ continues Oliver Jackson. ‘This is a selfless, dedicated, engineer, who takes great pride in the quality of his work and his consideration for others. To relate one incident: On completion of his construction task (which followed the approved design rigidly) Andrew observed that the structure he had constructed, whilst correct, did not address the needs of the contractor who was to complete the signalling installation.
The structure did not provide safe access for installation works before final completion. Andrew, having finished his work returned to the depot to construct a temporary access stairs and platform. This allowed the following contractor to access and work in a safe manner.
This was above and beyond what was required of him, but Andrew once again could not just walk away. The safety of people he had not even met had been considered and any issues resolved before he felt comfortable in going home.
‘Andrew has built many structures during his 38 years of railway work. None of these structures carry his name, but they represent a working life of leadership, commitment and dedication. Andrew’s contribution to Amey Rail is not just in his physical achievements but also in his example to younger, less experienced engineers of thoroughness and work ethic.’
Andy Gibbs adds, ‘Andy has a great sense of humour. He has a really good team spirit and often really cheers the team with his own deadpan sense of humour!’
Rail Engineer of the Year was sponsored by Morson International, which supplies a broad range of skilled personnel to rail projects around the UK and overseas.
Jeff Marshall, client service manager, Morson International, presented the award.
He said, ‘Morson International are at the forefront of the rail industry, and have been for probably 25-30 years.
‘I think it’s important we recognise people who make the standout achievements, go the extra mile, and we’re proud to support it.’
Highly commended
- Andy Merritt, Network Rail
- Matt Bower, Network Certification Body
