Long-serving staff members are a regular feature of this magazine, and in this issue we share the stories of two exceptional individuals who’ve served the rail industry throughout their lives.
As we come to the close of the 200th year of the modern railway, we shine a light on the career of Paul Brewer, head of rail operations at Carlisle Support Services. Paul tells us of his early memories of his father at work, the path he took into the industry, and where it has taken him. He also opens up about the role his family has played on the railway over the past two centuries.
Later in the issue, we catch up with Howard Smith OBE as he prepares to step down from his role as director of the Elizabeth line at Transport for London. Howard discusses the highlights of his career, as well as the challenges, names his mentors, and offers advice to future rail professionals. It was great to catch up with him as he prepared for retirement, though I was left with the feeling he’d be busy again before too long.
We reported in August on a change of guard at Network Rail and it would be remiss of us not to mention the retirement of Sir Andrew Haines, the organisation’s chief executive.
During his tenure, he has led the organisation through a period of major change and challenge. He focussed on devolving power to regional routes, improving passenger performance, and enhancing safety standards across Britain’s railway. He also guided the company through the COVID-19 pandemic emergency phase and has played a pivotal role in shaping the transition to Great British Railways (GBR). Despite this sterling record, during a recent press briefing he revealed that he would be moving away from the industry, at least for now. His experience, commitment, and vision will be sorely missed if this is true.
But as Sir Andrew steps down, Jeremy Westlake steps up, bringing extensive leadership experience to the role from across the transport and engineering sectors. His record in cross-industry collaboration and continuous improvement is expected to be instrumental in driving efficiency, innovation, and unity across the rail sector as we move towards GBR.
A further focus of this edition is safety, health and wellbeing, a topic that is never too far from our minds and, in the worst cases, from the headlines.
Colin Wheeler raises his concerns for volunteer staff, and his roundup of recent RAIB reports highlights the need for vigilance at heritage railways, where maintaining safety standards and protecting those who keep these lines running remains an ongoing challenge.
We take a look at the rise of the body-worn cameras and explore the benefits of their use, along with the challenges being uncovered as their presence becomes more ubiquitous. It seems there’s a fine line between ensuring safety and respecting personal privacy.
Rounding off the focus, we chat to Christian Hughes from MyPeople Group about the company’s approach to improving the safety cultures of teams spread out across the country, and how AI can help ensure that safety conscious candidates are placed into roles.
Finally, with this being the last issue before the 2025 RailStaff Awards, we bring you everything you need to know about the upcoming celebrations, including previous winners, award sponsors, and details on how to book your tickets.
Nominations are now closed and the finalists have been chosen but you can head over to www.railstaffawards.com to see if your friends, colleagues, or even yourself, are among those just one step way from picking up a coveted RailStaff Award.
We look forward to seeing you at the main event on the rail calendar!
