XC Life Winter 2010

The magazine for CrossCountry peopleXCLifeWinter 2010

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PETITIONprizes galore

in ourChristmas

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Tradingplaces

Senior Conductors swap

jobs to be closer to the

loves of their lives PAGE THREE

SEE PAGE 15

We’ll make sure youare informed aboutwhat’s going on

2 XC Life Winter 2010

NO matter where I’ve worked in railways therehas always been a desire to make sure everybodyknows what is going on. This has usually beenaccompanied by a survey to try to find out howeffective communication is proving to be.

The survey results almost always indicatecommunication isn’t good enough, certainly thatit could be better. Even if messages are gettingthrough, there is usually a need to strengthen thefeedback loop, so people can express their viewsand be heard.

How we can keep in touch has changed a lot.Today we have ‘txt msg’ and e-mail, the internetand the intranet, all providing rapid links andraising expectations about our ability to hear thevery latest. They have certainly helped withfeedback and broken down many of the barriersabout approaching the boss! E-mail makes peoplemuch more courageous!

Of course the railway grapevine is always busy,even if its accuracy is open to question! If I had apound for every time I heard ‘shops are comingback’ and ‘HSTs are going to Bournemouth’ Iwould have a tidy sum! In today’s challenging andrapidly changing world for rail, the hunger for thelatest news and the start up of rumours to fill thegap is understandable.

We have just passed our third anniversary asCrossCountry. In the first year you couldn’t get aseat at a staff forum but now the offer to meetmembers of the senior team is taken up lessoften.

Effective communicationI am conscious that shift patterns make it

difficult for people to attend, so in 2011 we arechanging things to improve the chances ofcatching up by organising events over a 24 hourperiod. I think it will be time well spent, I hopeyou do too, and will try to take advantage.

You will see that XC Life is changing a little too.It has proved very popular, so we don’t wish toradically alter a winning formula. We areresponding to suggestions about what else youwould like to see included. We are also addingsome of the information previously provided byBusiness Brief, to focus on using thecommunication channel which seems to be mosteffective.

Whenever we ask about the most convincingmessages, the answer is that they are alwaysgiven ‘face to face from my manager’. With yoursupport, this year we moved to a ‘three times ayear’ briefing day for all our people. This hasallowed more time to prepare the brief and abetter chance of catching everybody. The resultshave been encouraging.

So we are taking steps to improve the way weshare information and listen to your thoughts.Keep feeding back what you think and feel, so wecan continue to do the right things. By the way,did you know that... oh, don’t worry, it’s just arumour.

by Andy CooperMANAGING DIRECTOR,CROSSCOUNTRY

THE first trainee to enrol onCrossCountry’s GraduateProgramme is now working as a

customer service manager at BirminghamNew Street.

Simon Silcock, aged 28, joined thecompany in 2008 after graduating with aHistory degree from the University ofLiverpool. Since then three moregraduates have joined the programme,which encourages entrants to learn andapply leadership behaviours, knowledgeand skills so that they inspire andmotivate those around them.

Graduates on both the GeneralManagement Programme and theEngineering Management Programme arefamiliarised with all divisions ofCrossCountry and carry out a series ofprojects throughout their 18-monthtraining.

Simon is delighted with the way he hasprogressed to take a full-time job withthe company. He said: “After university Iworked as a translator in Japan and hadfirst-hand experience oftheir superb rail network. Iwould like to help our ownrailways improve theirperformance, and enrollingon the Graduate Programmewas the first step.”

Scott Masters, aged 23,who has a degree inIndustrial Economics fromNottingham University,joined the programme lastSeptember.

He said: “It’s a fantasticexperience that not manypeople get in their entirecareer. It has been aprivilege to experience the

various parts of the industry and see howthe departments interact. I have takenpart in projects to encourage morepeople to book tickets using the websiteand to improve companycommunications with front-line staff.”

Gareth McMurray, aged 23, also joinedthe programme last September aftergaining a BSc in Transport Planning andGeographical Information Systems fromAston University.

He said: “You would not find anywhereelse the opportunities offered byCrossCountry’s General ManagementProgramme. I have learned endlessamounts about the railway industry whileimproving my management skills.”

Matt Banham, aged 22, who has aHistory and Business ManagementDegree from Keele University, applied inSeptember this year to join theprogramme. He said: “To see where SimonSilcock is now is a real inspiration – thatis where I would like to be in two or threeyears.”

First graduatetrainee ‘qualifies’

Simon Silcock, right,the first employee tocomplete the company’sGraduate Programme, is pictured withthree other graduates who have enrolled onthe programme, left to right, Matt Banham,Scott Masters and Gareth McMurray.

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In his new post asCustomer ServiceManager, SimonSilcock at his deskat BirminghamNew Street

XC Life Winter 2010 3

TWO senior conductors haveswapped service centres so thatthey can be nearer to the loves oftheir lives. The romantic change-over happened after TonyBaldwin in Birmingham and Lisa-Marie Harvey in Bristol were bothstruck by Cupid’s arrow.

Tony wanted to move 90 miles to theSouth-West, and Lisa-Marie was lookingto make the job switch in the oppositedirection.

They were put in touch with eachother by their line managers afterseparately applying to move – and theywere both stunned to find anotheremployee in the same situation.

Tony, aged 54, had met Jayne Howe, acleaner at Cardiff, during stop-overs onhis route and he wanted to re-locate to

Bristol with a view to getting married in 2011.

Meanwhile Lisa-Marie (née Peters)was seeking a move so that shecould get married to long-termboyfriend Brendan Harvey in theBirmingham area.

Tony said: “Jayne and I were bothtravelling long distances to see eachother and it was getting a bit awkward.We’re both over the moon that I wasable to swap so easily with Lisa-Marie.”

Lisa-Marie, aged 26, who has nowmarried her partner Brendan at NewHall Hotel and Spa, Sutton Coldfield,said: “I had been waiting to move toBirmingham for ages and I wasdelighted that I was able to swap withTony. It was a complete surprise to findthat it was possible.”

JUDITH Tray has a hobby that suits her name –collecting novelty teapots. The Leeds retailservice manager has built up a 50-strong

collection of weird and wonderful shapes includingan Aga cooker, a Wallace and Gromit armchair andan Espresso maker.

Judith, a qualified food technologist, was a bakerfor five years before joining CrossCountry and it wasalways her dream to own a teashop.

The rare teapots, some of them worth morethan £100, reflect her love of imaginative itemsto do with catering.

“The more unusual the better,” said Judith,who keeps the collectibles in a displaycabinet at her home near TempleNewsam. “I source many of the itemsfrom specialist manufacturers in NorthYorkshire and Northumberland.

“It just seems the thing to do to collectpottery with a food and drink connection –my grandfather was a catering manager andof course I serve tea in my day job.”

Judith even has a pottery version of a womanpushing a tea trolley in her collection!

COVE

R S

TORY

COVER PICTURE:Tony Baldwin and Lisa-MarieHarvey at Birmingham NewStreet station.

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Judith ispottyaboutunusualteapots

ALL CHANGE– for a job swap made in heaven

ANYONEFOR TEA?

Judith Tray with part of her

collection ofnoveltyteapots.


AHIGHLY-SKILLED team of14 specialists in the Train

Planning departmenttakes up complex challenges tokeep CrossCountry operatingsmoothly.

More than perhaps any othertrain operator, CrossCountry hasits work cut out to secure trainpaths and achieve its optimumtimetable in the face of rivalclaims from other companies, dueto the large distances covered byits services.

Making the various elements fitinto the interlocking pattern oftrain movements involves endlessnegotiations, continuous sharingof information and a delicatebalancing act to match traintimes with available resources.

Guiding his Cannon House-based team through thechallenges is Head of TrainPlanning Robert Thould, whosums up the department’s mainaspiration as “trying to run thetrains CrossCountry wants to runin the best possible times”.

The vital elements of gainingaccess to the railway andagreeing the non-emergencyengineering possessions planned

by Network Rail (NR) are theresponsibility of Track AccessManager James Carter andPossession Strategy ManagerJohn Cherrington.

Meanwhile the complicatedplanning and diagrammingcarried out by the departmentfalls under two categories, LongTerm (LTP) and Short Term (STP):.

LONG TERM TRAIN PLANNING

Long Term Planning ManagersRobbie Burgess and Andy Smithcompile the Long Term Timetablefor the main changes in May andDecember each year. Thesetimetables also incorporate severaldifferent periods to accommodatechanges to train services causedby seasonal timetables or majorengineering work.

CrossCountry has to argue itscase in the negotiations for anychanges in each timetable whilemaintaining a good workingrelationship with NR and theother train operating companies.

Maximising the use ofCrossCountry’s train fleets andtaking into account loadingsinformation provided by theCommercial team is also Robbieand Andy’s responsibility.

SHORT TERM TRAIN PLANNING

Paul Boden, Senior Short TermPlanning Manager and PhilMullarkey and Adrian Knight, bothShort Term Planning Managers,rewrite each week’s timetable toaccommodate all of NR’s

engineering blockades. Usuallythey work on a whole week ata time, each being responsiblefor every third week’s plan.Constant negotiations arerequired to ensure thecompany runs the best possibletrain service for its customers.

LONG TERM TRAINCREWDIAGRAMMING

In overall charge of making sureeach train service is coveredwith crew is Jeff Anderson,Senior Traincrew DiagrammingManager, who prepares all theTrain Manager, SeniorConductor and Caterer LongTerm Diagrams. MickOxbrough, TraincrewDiagramming Manager,prepares the Long Term DriverDiagrams.

Between them Jeff and Mickhave more than 70 years’ traincrew diagramming experience

Don’t forget you can view the photographs in this issue of XC Life and many others we didn’t have room for on the CrossCountry intranet site

XC Life Winter 2010 5crosscountrytrains.co.uk facebook.com/crosscountrytrains

Continuing its regular focus on different areas of the CrossCountrybusiness, XC Life put the spotlight on Train Planning...

SHORT TERM TRAINCREWDIAGRAMMING

Colin Pollard and Will Adderleycompile STP diagrams for thedrivers.

Julian Fisher currentlydiagrams the train managers,Donna Broomhall the cateringstaff and Alan Hireson thesenior conductors. Paul

Nicholls, a First Class Host fromNew Street, is currentlyseconded to STP diagramming.

The team changes the traincrew diagrams to fit with theamended train plans producedby the Short Term PlanningTeam.

Summing up the task of TrainPlanning, Robert Thould said:

“Obviously we have to deliveron our service level agreementwith the Department forTransport and provide the bestpossible service to ourcustomers.

“Beyond that we aim to befairly invisible! If everythingruns smoothly as planned wehave done our job.”

Members of the TrainPlanning Department

at their desks inCannon House,

Birmingham.

Possession Strategy Manager John Cherrington,left, and Long Term Planning Manager Andy Smithon a visit to Birmingham New Street.

Senior Traincrew DiagrammingManager Jeff Anderson workingon train manager diagrams.

Traincrew DiagrammingManager Colin Pollardworking on drivers’Short Term Planningdiagrams for Christmas.Despite extensive useof IT much work is stilldone by pen and paper!

Track Access Manager James Carter, seated, talking to RichardKnight, who is seconded to help with catering diagramming.

Traincrew Diagramming Manager Donna Broomhall studiesShort Term Planning diagrams for catering staff.

Short Term Planning Manager Phil Mullarkey reviewing possessions

for the Short Term Train Plan.

Head of Train Planning RobertThould reviewing a Network Railroute utilisation strategy.

Traincrew Diagramming ManagerPaul Nicholls on the phone discussingShort Term Catering diagrams.

Best laid plans thatkeep the business

on the move


THE December timetablechange sees a 37 percent rise in

CrossCountry services toSouthampton, providing2,222 extra seats eachweekday to increase thecompany’s capacity on thisbusy route.

The move not only benefitscustomers on the SouthCoast/North-East corridor,but also those using theoften heavily loadedBournemouth to Manchesterservice as it will help to evenout demand.

In addition the new link isexpected to boost businessby attracting morepassengers to Southamptonfor interchange with theincreasingly popular cruiseships.

The changes to thetimetable include theextension of six Newcastle-

Reading services on alternatehours to SouthamptonCentral, all calling atBasingstoke with most alsocalling at Winchester andSouthampton AirportParkway.

Five Reading-Newcastleservices start fromSouthampton on alternatehours, with all services callingat Basingstoke and most alsocalling at Winchester and/orSouthampton AirportParkway.

The extension of theNewcastle-Reading servicesto Southampton reinstates anumber of valuablethrough-journeyopportunities that existedbefore the network-wideDecember 2008 timetablerecast required the sameCrossCountry service patternto apply at Birmingham NewStreet each hour.

TWO Royal Naval reservists based atEdinburgh have helped CrossCountry to berecognised as a supportive employer of thearmed forces.

Customer Service Manager StewartCumming and Train Manager Henry Gibsonattended a ceremony on board HMS Scotiato collect a “Certificate of Support” onbehalf of the company.

The award, which marks the company’ssupport for its reservists, was presented byPrince Michael of Kent, Honorary RearAdmiral of the Royal Naval Reserve.

Stewart, who spent 20 years in the RoyalNavy, was recently released byCrossCountry to work for the UK MaritimeTrade Organisation in the Persian Gulf,helping to brief merchant ship crews onhow to avoid capture by pirates.

During 14 years service for the RoyalNaval Reserves since he left the Navy, hehas taken part in military exercises fromPearl Harbour to the Mediterranean.

Henry has criss-crossed the world toplaces like the Falklands, Australia and the

Persian Gulf during 23 years in the RoyalNavy Reserves. He is a Physical TrainingInstructor specialising in gruelling mountaintraining and sporting activities whichsustain high fitness levels.

Customer Service Director JeremyHiggins, a Major in the Territorial Army, said:“Both Stewart and Henry have given a

tremendous amount of service andcommitment to the Royal Navy so it wasfitting for them to collect this award onbehalf of CrossCountry.

“We fully support any of our staff whoare part of the reservists and do all we canto ensure they are given the correct coverand understanding that’s required.”

Extra seats on services toSouthampton

Pictured after the Certificate of Support presentation ceremony on board HMS Scotiaare, left to right, Henry Gibson, Jeremy Higgins and and Stewart Cumming.

Support forArmed Forcesrecognised

DANI Corby took decisive action when she saw her pettortoise being attacked by a magpie in the garden of herhome. After taking seven-year-old Vincent to safety andgetting him treated by the vet, she has painted thewooden surrounds of his pen red to deter furtherunwelcome visits by predators. “I know it’s an unusualsafety measure, but so far it seems to have worked,”said Dani, IT Service Delivery Manager at Cannon House.

Decisive action to keepshell-shocked tortoise safe

IN SAFE HANDS:Dani Corby withher tortoiseVincent.



ACHANCE meeting

in southern Afghanistan set

Stuart Bowers on thepath to a career changefrom Tornados toVoyagers.

Stuart was serving asa Warrant Officer incharge of 100 airforceengineers in a squadronservicing eight Tornadoaircraft in Kandahar,when he met JeremyHiggins.

CrossCountry’sCustomer ServiceDirector, a Major in theTerritorial Army with theSouth Notts Hussars,was a ground liaisonofficer with the samesquadron.

The two men cameinto daily contact in themilitary arena becauseJeremy was providing anongoing update on armyoperations to the aircraftpersonnel.

Jeremy became awarethat Stuart had a Cityand Guilds qualificationin Travel and Tourism,and was looking to takea civilian job on leavingthe Forces.

“Jeremy was a topman both on and offduty,” said Stuart, anAircraft Frame Engineerby trade. “He offered mea work attachment whenI left the services, so thatI could see what working onCivvy Street was like.

“I really enjoyed my threedays in Birmingham, so I laterapplied for my post as FirstClass Host in Reading, after

seeing it advertised on thecompany website.”

The day after he handed in hisRAF uniform, Stuart was fittedfor his CrossCountry outfit.

It seems he is adjusting wellto his new life away from the

war zone – though from time totime he still gets a shock to findhe is not wearing a hat!

He added: “I am reallyenjoying dealing with thediverse customer base, and I amgetting used to the shifts.”

PERIOD 8(four weeks to 13/11/10)

PERFORMANCE: 84.3%

DELAY CAUSE:Network Rail 58.5%, XC 11.6%,other train operators 29.9%

DELAY CAUSED BY XC:11.3% within target

AVERAGE PERFORMANCEOVER THE LAST YEAR:89.6%

FLEET MILES BETWEEN FAULTSOVER THE LAST YEAR:Class 170 – 16,583 (+51% year-on-year)

Class 220 – 39,857 (+52% year-on-year)

Class 221 – 32,565 (+43% year-on-year)

HST – 13,612 (+43% year-on-year)

CATERING SALES:+10% on last year

AVERAGE TICKET PRICE:£10.87 (-0.9% year-on-year)

PASSENGER COUNTS:The % of counts successfullycompleted

79% (last year 76%)

BusinessSTATS

NEWCASTLE Revenue Protection Inspector John Niven, picturedright, has sadly died after a long battle with cancer.

John joined CrossCountry as a Retail Service Manager in2002, following a time in the army and as a pub landlord. Hebecame an RPI four years ago and was absolutely dedicated tohis job. He would always go the extra mile to help out.

John was extremely popular with colleagues and customers.He will be missed by everyone who knew him.

Popular colleague dies aftera long battle with illness

crosscountrytrains.co.uk

Enjoying his newcareer as First ClassHost, former RAFWarrant OfficerStuart Bowers atReading station.Inset, Stuartpictured during hismilitary days.

A NUMBER of CrossCountrystaff have travelled to Scotlandto sample the bed andbreakfast experience beingoffered by retired Driver MattJones.

Former Manchester DriverMatt’s B&B Tummel Lodge wasfeatured in the Autumn editionof XCLife.

Drivers Colin Allsobrook andDenis Robinson, accompaniedby their wives, stayed for aweek sampling the attractionsof the area. “We went up togive Matt support and to seewhat his place was like at thesame time,” said Colin.

“It’s well worth a visit. Thescenery is superb and for thosewho like their whisky there aretwo distilleries close at hand.”

Matt’s CrossCountry visitorsalso include Driver ChrisTunney, Driver DaveMcCumskey and Steve Robertsfrom the Derby training centre.

● For details of Matt’s B&B see the XClassified column onPage 13.

B&B gets thethumbs up

AFGHAN MEETING LED TO

career change

8 XC Life Winter 2010 XC Life Winter 2010 9

Train Manager Scott Moffatt gives his personal views on what makes Edinburgh a great place to live, work or visit – SEE NEXT PAGE

XC Life focuses on the staff at Edinburgh Waverley centre who fulfil a dual role of despatching trains and delivering catering supplies to all rolling stock

CROSSCOUNTRY’S stationteam at Edinburgh Waverleyis being praised for its

multi-tasking skills.The staff are unique in fulfilling

the dual role of despatching trainsand making sure catering suppliesare delivered to rolling stock on thestation.

The twin-track function wasinaugurated last December whencatering services were takenin-house by the company, at thesame time that the staff’s JourneyCare role was transferred to EastCoast.

Based in Room 112 in a block onNorth Mall at the station, the10 staff shuttle between their office,the platforms and the temporarycatering service centre also onNorth Mall. This means plenty ofclimbing up and down stairs – sothey must be among the fittest inCrossCountry!

“The job is multi-faceted,” saidHarry Cairney, Station TeamManager, who is responsible for thelogistics of the catering side as wellas the day-to-day running of thestation.

“Two of the team members dothe catering administration on a

rotation basis, carrying out a varietyof tasks through the electroniccatering system in the office.

“All the staff are safety-critical forwork on the platforms, and are alsoskilled in loading the catering ordersin the service centre and takingthem to the trains. The diversity ofthe operation is very challenging forthe staff, but they are extremelydedicated and do a great job.”

As well as taking care of thedespatch and catering, the team isalso responsible for the trainrunning side, keeping on top ofwhatever schedule changes mightarise. The person responsible for thetrain despatch has to pick up the

drivers’ and train managers’ listfrom Room 112 before

heading to the platformto look after

customers anddespatch the

train.

Getting the catering items on tothe trains is especially complex –boxes are loaded the previous nightfor trains which leave early thefollowing morning, as well asthrough the following day on an adhoc basis.

Because of the restricted space inthe temporary service deliverycentre, deliveries have to be madeon a daily basis by the suppliers.

“We are looking forward to a newcustom-built service delivery centrewhich will be up-and-running in theNew Year,” said Harry.

Last but not least in the roll-callof duties performed by the staff atEdinburgh is customer service on theplatforms, making sure customersare satisfied and safe.

● Harry Cairney is supported inhis role as station team manager byAilsa Gormley, Customer ServiceManager, who also helps to managethe On-Board Catering Team.Stewart Cumming, Customer Service

Manager, is responsible for theOn-Board Catering Team and theTrain Managers.

Also at the heart ofCrossCountry’s operation atEdinburgh is Helen Greig, TeamOrganiser, who provides clericalsupport for all the staff includingthe station team.

NO day is the same for MandyRobinson, pictured above, whotransferred from on-board cateringto take up a dual role on theplatforms because she “wanted achange”.

She describes her days as“extremely diverse” and needs tokeep her memory sharp because ofthe numbers of tasks she has toperform during her shift.

In the catering role, she is basedin office 112, checking thecomputer screens for any top-offorders that might be sent throughby retail service managers.

When on duty as a traindespatcher, she will be checking fordeparture times and liaising withtrain managers.

“Sometimes they will need seatreservation labels taking out to thetrain,” she said. “We also takepaperwork including trainmanagers' reports to the trains.

“We log what we have deliveredto the train on our computer, andwe fill in a daily log which includesany late running or missed orders.We have a daily despatch sheetwhich needs to be consulted at alltimes.

If train despatch needs a hand,the catering side can help.

“We also do customer service – in fact we are here, there andeverywhere. It gets very busyduring the day, and it’s verychallenging. But I do enjoy it!”

Adaptabilityand highfitness levelsare required

Diverse andbusy job helpskeep Mandy’smemory sharp

THE Edinburgh station/platform team consists of Eunice Fraser, GillianGuthrie (currently on maternity leave), Keith Howard, Andy McCombie,Jim McMillan, Barry Moloney, Ricky Raqeeb, Mandy Robinson, AlanSalton, Adrian Trimble and Ferdinand Vendil. Ashley Brown, Retail ServiceManager, is currently seconded to the team. Harry Cairney, StationTeam Manager, is well-known locally for his active participation in localpolitics, and has previously attended a Downing Street reception.

Team rise to challenge ofmulti-tasking work

Manager Harry heads the line-up

Station TeamManager HarryCairney helpsa customer onthe platform.

Customer ServiceAssistant MandyRobinson despatchesa train.

Customer Service Assistant Ferdinand Vendiloffloads catering supplies to a train, helped byCustomer Service Manager Stewart Cumming (left).

Customer Service AssistantFerdinand Vendil checks the

catering list with the trainmanager.

BARRY Moloney, pictured above,performs a key role as CrossCountry’sstation team representative atEdinburgh Waverley. He makes surethe operation flows smoothly duringthe day as top-up catering ordersarrive from retail service managerson the COLIN system.

“They come through on thecomputer and we print them off,”said Customer Service AssistantBarry. “They are then taken down tothe service centre and the orders aremade up. We have a large deliverytrolley to take the orders across thestation to trains on the 12 platformsthat we use out of the total of 20 atEdinburgh.

“Through the day we might makeup eight orders in addition to theadvance orders which have beenmade up the night before to go outearly the following morning. Theseorders would have been placed on theCOLIN system by head office.

“In terms of despatch, eachindividual turn can deal with betweenfour and seven trains per day. Theplatform staff are all safety-critical.We perform a dual role in meetingthe requirements of all trains, andwe are extremely adaptable.”

Barry observes that fitnesslevels need to be high among teammembers.

“Until we get our new servicecentre there’s a lot of running up anddown stairs,” he said. “We all makesure we put our Nike trainers on.”

CustomerService AssistantAdrian Trimbletakes a cateringcall in Room 112.

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‘‘ ’’FOR me there’s no other city that could hold acandle to Edinburgh and I have a sense ofpride whenever I walk through it.

It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site with superbMedieval and Georgian buildings. The city possessesseven hills like Rome – Edinburgh Castle stands onan extinct volcano!

As a tourist destination Edinburgh is the mostfantastic place in the world to visit. Even if I wonthe lottery I would never move away.

One of its strongest points is that it isvery compact. You can walk round and feelas if you are moving through time. There’sso much to see and it is really touristfriendly – you feel free to get right up closeto the cannons in the castle.

From a cultural point of view, Edinburgh isa vibrant centre with its famous annualFestival. I love the comedy scene everyAugust.

We have historical heroes like JosephLister, the father of antiseptic surgery whoworked in the city, and the novelistSir Walter Scott, who was born here and iscommemorated by the Scott Monument onthe south side of Princes Street.

We also have two top Premier League

football teams, Heart of Midlothian and Hibernian.I am a big Hibs fan.

There's no doubt that Edinburgh is right up therewith London and York as a destination city. It feelsvery much like a capital city and a financial hub.

Although many would disagree with me, I evenlike the new Scottish Parliament Building atHolyrood, designed by the Catalan architectEnric Miralles.

City is world classtourist destination

As a supplement to the XC Life focus on Edinburgh Centre on theprevious pages, Train Manager Scott Moffatt, 45, who was bornand lives in Edinburgh, explains why the city is his pride and joy...

NICK Maskill was totallyfascinated by the reptilecollection at Bristol Zoo – so hewent out and bought a BeardedDragon lizard.

The unusual pet, native toAustralia, is thriving under aheat lamp in the Bristol RetailService Manager’s home.

“I’ve called him Lemmybecause I am a big Motorheadfan,” said Nick. “Bearded

Dragons are amazingbecause they look

like dinosaurs inminiature.”

DANIEL Edwards is a memberof a four-strong group ofsingers at Peverell ParkMethodist Church in Plymouth.

One Accord sing churchmusic at the request ofpreachers and songs frompopular musicals atcommunity events such as theHarvest Lunch.

Daniel, who works atCrossCountry’s service centrein Plymouth, also helps out at7th Plymouth Boys Brigademeetings which are held at the church.

PHIL Melrose has always lovedBarbados – so it was onlynatural that he would choosethe island as the ideal settingto propose to his wife-to -be.

The happy event took placeon the Manchester retailservice manager’s fourth visitlast year. He’s now just back inBritain after a fifth stay duringwhich he and future wife Jillbought their wedding rings. Themarriage is scheduled forAugust 2012 in England butwith a firm Barbadianconnection.

The best man will be Phil’sfriend Sean Nicholls,Birmingham Train Manager,whose family are originallyWest Indian. “I love everythingabout Barbados,” said Phil. “Itwas the perfect place topropose.”

Barbadosromance

Lemmy the lizard

Methodistsingers

Scott at theentrance to theworld-famousEdinburghCastle.

crosscountrytrains.co.uk10 XC Life Winter 2010

Scott looks outover a panoramicview of hisbeloved Edinburghfrom the BurnsMonument.


LEONA the white GermanShepherd is a genuine ‘top dog’.

Don’t take Alex Wild’s wordfor it – his pet has been votedbest-looking pooch by Take ABreak magazine.

Alex, Retail Service Manager atLeeds, entered a photo of Leonaas a youngster in a competitionrun by the popular magazine.

It’s not the first time the dog,now aged six and a half, hasbeen recognised for her goodlooks. She won Best in Show andBest in Group at the West LeedsDog Show.

Alex said: “I have takenhundreds of photos of Leona –she is a beautiful-looking dogand she means a great deal tome. When she grew too big formy Peugeot 206 Cabriolet Ibought a bigger car so that shecould travel with me.

“She was one of a litter of12 and has a very friendlycharacter. She’s fond of Yorkshire

Pudding and stew – and she alsoseems to like going onCrossCountry trains.”

Alex, a keen amateur snapper,specialises in taking pictures ofbuildings and sculptures. He hasa photo in the online SaatchiGallery.

ALMOST 3,500 passenger counts are being carried out daily by CrossCountry train managers and senior conductors.

These vital counts are now at their highest-ever number and a producing a variety ofbenefits to the company.

They feed information to various divisionsof the business to help with the efficientrunning of the trains.

Members of the Revenue Management Team use the information to ensure theyallocate the right tickets at the right price oneach train.

The train planners use the counts to ensurethe best use of rolling stock, with busierservices getting three-car Class 170 units,

five-car Voyagers or High Speed Trains wherepossible. The figures are factored in by therevenue team to ensure that the team ofrevenue protection inspectors is used on busytrains rather than quiet ones.

There are also benefits to catering, helpingthem to ensure the right amount of food isloaded on to each service, and marketing,during the planning for special events such asthe Cheltenham Festival.

From a sales point of view, the numbersfrom the counts allow offers of cheap ticketsto be targeted at the right trains.

Following feedback by traincrew, the countpoint at Southampton Central has beenmoved to Winchester, because passengers

boarding from the cruise liners tend to clogthe aisles with their luggage at the start ofthe journey, making the counting exercisedifficult.


TO keep up to speed with what’s going on around thebusiness you can receive In Brief, XC Life and Arriva’sInform to your home email. To go on to the distributionlist, or if you want to tell us what you would like toread about in XC Life contact us [email protected]

Counts add up tobetter service

Leona’sgood lookswin her magazine’s‘top dog’accolade

Getting the news to you

Accurate passenger counts help theTrain Planning Team and other areasof the business.

Alex Wildwith his prize-winning petdog Leona.

STEPS are being taken atCrossCountry to keep trainsmoving if there is a repeat

of last year’s severe winterweather.

Building on lessons learned 12months ago, modifications havebeen made to the fleet toimprove reliability in freezingtemperatures.

Maintenance depots are gearedup to make special checks totrains ahead of them going outinto snowy conditions.

Network Rail will be makingchecks in advance to ensure thatessential items of winterequipment, such as point heaters,are working, and staff have beentrained to keep trains moving.

In the south, new plans are inplace to keep the conductor railsclear of ice so electric trainsoperate more easily, helping toensure our services on theBournemouth route run with

minimal delay. On the Readingand Gateway projects, which aretaking place over the Christmasperiod, Network Rail has securedits own supplies of grit so thatthe sites continue to operate toschedule.

Philip Meikle, Head ofPerformance, said: “Following

the heavy snow and freezingtemperatures of the last twowinters we have undertakendetailed reviews with NetworkRail and other rail operators tomake sure that our plans standup to the weather.

“We have taken steps tocombat extreme conditions –

for example, on the Voyagers weare moving the horns so thatthey are less likely to freeze up.”

Along with colleagues inNetwork Rail, CrossCountry isclosely following thespecially-commissioned industryweather forecast which helpsplan for adverse weather.


SARAH Kendall, former Production Director atCrossCountry, raised £6,000 for the RailwayChildren charity by climbing the world’shighest free-standing mountain.

She joined a group of senior railwaymanagers in the ascent of 5,895 metre-highKilimanjaro in Tanzania, passing through adesert plateau and rainforest to the ice-cappedpeak. “I decided to make a commitment to theclimb, both as a personal challenge and to getfit through training,” said Sarah, who is nowBusiness Development Director, ArrivaMainland Europe.

She trained by hill walking, cycling and

swimming to equip herself for the adventure,which included sleeping for seven nights intwo-person tents and withstanding hailstorms,thunder and snow.

After the climb Sarah went down to thefoothills to meet a group of street children inMoshi who are being helped by the charity.

“It was wonderful to meet the children whoare aged between eight and 13 and arecurrently taking part in art projects. Theultimate aim is to get them back to educationand see them return to their parents.”

The climbing group as a whole raised a totalof £200,000 for the charity.

BEST wishes to BirminghamDriver Ian Clarke who recentlyretired from the company.

Congratulations to thefollowing who have receivedlong service awards:

Karen Beamish, BirminghamTrain Manager; Clive Hoyal,Bournemouth Driver; JackJennings, Bristol Driver; PaulPainter, Bristol Driver; GeorgeRokita, Leeds Driver; JohnAshton, Plymouth Driver; JohnBunclark, Plymouth Driver;Mark Hallas, Leeds Driver;Simon Gilmore, ManchesterDriver; Harry Cairney, EdinburghStation Team Manager; GaryHoltam, Derby Driver; NevSloper, Derby Driver; JayneAppleby, Birmingham TrainManager; Paul Clegg,Birmingham Train Manager;Lynn Mackintosh-Braisby,Birmingham Train Manager;Charlie Walters, BirminghamRetail Service Manager; AlanPriseman, Birmingham Driver;Jason Warner, BirminghamRetail Service Manager; BlairHobson, Birmingham TrainManager; Chris Kelly, EdinburghDriver; Alison Morgan, LeedsDriver; Lorna Pitchford,Birmingham Train Manager; LizClark, Birmingham RetailService Manager; MickChapman, Derby Driver.

10 YEARS


Long service & leavers

Steps taken to combatfreezing weather

Climbing high to boost charity

TOP CHARITY EFFORT:Sarah Kendall at thesummit of MountKilimanjaro holding a model of aCrossCountry Voyager.


XClassifiedCrossCountry staff are invited to advertise for free in thisquarterly ‘small ads’ column. The section is open to anyone who hassomething to sell, rents out holiday accommodation, runs a mobile disco,organising a football match or an excursion to celebrate a birthday, wanting to

let people know about a night out ...or is simply looking to place an appealfor a specific item. To place an advert here contact us at: –

[email protected] or [email protected]

FAMILY-FRIENDLY HOLIDAYAPARTMENT IN MENORCAWell-appointed Son Bou apartmentwith two bedrooms and a sofa bed isowned by a CrossCountry driver basedat Birmingham

Phone Greg or Joanne on 02476 595417 or [email protected]: www.holidayrentals.co.uk/26sanjamie

DISCOUNTED RATES AT B&BPUB IN DEVONPlymouth Driver Mike Maddicks part-owns a pub and B&B in Scorriton nearBuckfastleigh. He is offering discountrates to all XC employees – for moreinformation visitwww.thetradesmansarms.co.uk

The accommodation has beenawarded a four-star rating by theDartmoor National Park.

Tel. 01364 631206.

WEBSITE DESIGNDarren Hibbs, Bristol Train Manager, isa freelance web designer who offers avariety of website services.

His PDF portfolio can be viewed at www.Dhibbs-webdesign.co.uk

Darren builds websites, and alsospecialises in content managementincluding logo design. He can create“shop fronts” for eBay shops.

Tel. 07766 308672.

MOBILE DISCO INBIRMINGHAM ANDWOLVERHAMPTONMartin Aldridge, CrossCountry SouthRoute Controller based at CannonHouse, runs a mobile disco in theBirmingham and Wolverhamptonareas.

“Maxxdiscos” specialises in musicfrom the Sixties to the Nineties, andcaters for weddings, retirements,Christmas parties and birthdays.

Email for further details [email protected] or phone07157 74211 for a quote.

DISCOUNTED CARPETSWORCESTER-BASED Carpet Directoffers a wide choice of floor coveringsto suit all budgets including carpet,vinyl and karndean. Free measuringservice and fitting team. Special 15 percent discount through XC Life to allCrossCountry employees. ContactDarren Morris 07583 549325.

MOBILE HOMES ANDCAMPERS FOR HIRERetired Newcastle Driver David Gloverowns and runs a holiday businesssupplying mobile homes and campers.He is offering discounts toCrossCountry employees. Campervanscome with 24-hour RAC UKbreakdown cover.

The two vehicles for hire are Hue, a1975 Volkswagen van with a“nostalgic charm,” and a 1993 ToyotaTownace diesel campervan.

For more information visitwww.northeastcampers.co.uk

Contact David or Claire on 07854511921.

B&B IN BALLYOUKAN,SCOTLANDRetired Manchester Driver Matt Jonesis now running a bed and breakfastguesthouse overlooking the RiverTummel near Pitlochry in Scotland. Hewould welcome CrossCountry guestsat Tummel Lodge, Ballyoukan,Pitlochry, Perthshire PH16 5TB.

Tel. 01796 472815.

COTTAGE FOR RENT INNORTHUMBERLANDThe Old Post Office Cottage is in thecentre of the small village of Powburnon the edge of the NorthumberlandNational Park, a 20-minute drive fromthe coast.

£250 – £420 per week, short breaksby arrangement.

Call Jan on 07810 145977 oremail [email protected]

VAN FOR SALEVW CAMPER van 1600cc RHD.

Has MOT until October 2011 and istaxed until March 2011.Contact Roy on 07958 328776.

SOFA AND CHAIRMULTIYORK beech frame, feather-backed burgundy three-seater sofa andsingle chair. Removable covers, threeyears old, excellent condition.For sale at £500 but must collect.

Contact John or Karolyn Fisher on 0121 354 8712.

THESE ADVERTS ARE ALSOINCLUDED IN THE SOCIALSECTION OF THE CROSSCOUNTRYINTRANET SITE, WHICH ISAVAILABLE AT ALL CENTRES.

FIRST Class Host Rob Hindshas a special reason toglance out of the window

whenever his train passesthrough Gateshead on thesouthward journey out ofNewcastle.

Away from his day job Rob isa Special Constable – andGateshead is his patch.

Since March he has beenattending training nights at theNorthumbria Police Forceheadquarters in Ponteland, andtraining at weekends to equiphim for his task of keeping thepeace.

From his base at Whickham

Police Station he has alreadybeen out on patrol on Saturdaynights, covering a wide area byroad and on foot and makingone arrest so far.

“The train passes the edge ofthe area where I work inGateshead,” said Rob. “Iautomatically go to thewindow and look out to see ifanything untoward ishappening.”

He joined the Specialsbecause he was interested tofind out what was involved,and because the people skillshe learned would help him inhis railway job.

ACE angler Steve Brodell hasat last fulfilled his ambitionof landing one of the world’srarest game fish.

The Derby driver hauledaboard two Striped Marlinduring his latest fishing tripto Kenya’s Indian Oceancoast.

Every year Steve andfriends fly from Gatwick totheir East African haunt,staying for 15 days in a hotelin Malindi near Mombasa.They seek out Sailfish and

Tuna as well as Marlin, andtheir stay also gives themopportunities to go on safari.

“It’s been a long wait butit was wonderful to finallyland the prized fish – notone, but two,” said Steve.“You certainly know you’vegot one on the end of theline.” Steve is extending anopen invitation toCrossCountry staff to joinhim on his next trip to Kenyaon March 21. He can becontacted on 07832 404017.

Angler achieves ambitionto land rare game fish

Rob’s special in Gateshead

SpecialConstable RobHinds shows hiswarrant card.

crosscountrytrains.co.uk


Ask me another

At the moment I am ...

working on the final draft of the budget for2011, assisting auditors with our year-endaccounting and managing financial processesand relationships with our new ownersDeutsche Bahn.

The best thing about my job is ...

the variety of challenges I face. It maysurprise people about Finance, but there isalways something different to do. I also findthat generally across the company, everyoneis really approachable and engaging. I am verylucky in particular to have a great teamsupporting me.

The strangest thing that happened to me inwork was ...

when I worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers inSwansea a few years back, and was auditingthe Royal Mint. I was one of the few peopleallowed to go into the vault and the securityinvolved to get me in was incredible.Surprisingly the room seemed empty eventhough it contained gold and coin worthmillions.

My most valuable possession is ...

my iPhone. I don’t know how I survivedbefore this existed!

My favourite place in the world ...

is Barcelona, just ahead of Scotland which Ithink is a really beautiful place. The Spanishcity has everything – nice weather, a beach,fantastic architecture and character and greatfood and wines.

If I have time to myself ...

I like to take my two boys for a pretend bearhunting game in Sutton Park. Beyond that I

like to go running – with my dogs if I can –and watch and play other sports.

My favourite music is ...

varied, though the majority of music on myiPhone is mainstream rock such as Muse,Killers, Kaiser Chiefs, Last Shadow Puppets.

When I was a child ...

I wanted to be an actor. I was involved inamateur dramatics, but looking back now I’m

not surprised this dream was never realised!

Best bit advice I was ever given ...

apart from the advice that my wife is alwaysright, even when she is not, it would probablybe – not to promise what you can’t deliver.

In five years time I would like to be ...

since I am only a month or two in my post, Ihave no thoughts beyond what I can bring to,and learn about, this role.

JONATHAN ROBERTS, FinanceDirector, tells us about himself.Jonathan, aged 32, lives inBirmingham and is married to Jacquiwith three children Oliver, aged five,Timothy, aged three and Sophia,aged eight months.

CROSSCOUNTRY continues to enhance itsprofiles on social networking siteFacebook and the micro-blogging siteTwitter.

Staff are being urged to join in – it’s anenjoyable way of finding out more aboutthe company and its initiatives.

With the sites proving a valuable way ofinteracting with people, customerfeedback is both interesting and helpful inaddressing perceived problems.

The Facebook profile has registeredalmost 1,000 ‘Likes’ in just over a year,with customers finding it an ideal way tofind out about events, partnerships andspecial deals.

The Twitter feed is five months old,

offering the latest news together with latedeals and special offers. CrossCountry’sFacebook profile is available viafacebook.com/crosscountrytrains and thecompany can be found on Twitter attwitter.com/crosscountryuk

Following CrossCountry through the social network

Finance DirectorJonathan Robertsat his office deskin Cannon House.


Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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WIN a Hornby model train in ourChristmas wordsearch


Wordsearch winners for theAutumn issue are as follows:Steven Powney, Driver,Birmingham; James Burgess,Driver, Plymouth; Eric Embury,Train Crew Controller, CannonHouse.

A total of 22 prizes are up for grabs in ourbumper Christmas Wordsearch competition.

The theme of the wordsearch is mountains, inspired by SarahKendall’s ascent of Kilimanjaro to help raise money for the RailwayChildren charity.

Our prizes include a Hornby 00 Gauge HST (two power cars and fivecoaches, worth £275), three Bachmann 00 Gauge models and twoBachmann N Gauge models, in CrossCountry livery. Also on offer are16 High Street vouchers worth a total of £350.

The first 22 entries drawn out of the hat will win the prizes. Entriesshould arrive no late than January 31 2011. Only CrossCountryemployees are eligible.

Simply ring the words in the grid, cut it outand send it with your name, address andphone number to:

Lee West, CommunicationsManager, CrossCountry,5th Floor, Cannon House,18 Priory Queensway,Birmingham B4 6BS.

Here is a list of the competitionprizes. Please indicate the prizeyou would like to win in order ofpreference by putting numbers inthe boxes. For example, if yourtop choice is the 00 gauge HSTmodel train, write 1 in the box. Foryour second choice write 2, etc.

CrossCountry train models:

HORNBY

■ 00 GAUGE HST

BACHMANN

■ 00 GAUGE CLASS 221



■ N GAUGE CLASS 170

■ N GAUGE HST

Vouchers:

■ £20 PIZZA EXPRESS

■ £20 FAT FACE

■ £20 HOMEBASE

■ £20 COMET

■ £20 DEBENHAMS

■ £20 NEXT

■ £20 H&M

■ £20 TICKETMASTER

■ £20 THE BODY SHOP

■ £20 BHS

■ £25 iTUNES

■ £25 AMAZON

■ £25 BLACKS

■ £25 B&Q

■ £25 LAURA ASHLEY

■ £25 ARGOS

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TAIFUJITHORLOGANSHIRASINAIALAGOZARARATCASTORELBRUSLHOTSEPILSKOVINSONBROCKENEVERESTSNOWDONBEN NEVISMAUNA KEAKOSCIUSKOMONT BLANCVENUSBERGKILIMANJAROKANCHENJUNGAPOPOCATEPETLTABLE MOUNTAIN


16 XC Life Winter2010 Published by CrossCountry Communications. Telephone 0121 2006115. [email protected]

IF you have a story for thestaff magazine pleasecontact Ron Quenby on07966 424382 or [email protected]

Call us withyour stories

MICK Wilson raised moneyfor a good cause whilepursuing his hobby of coarsefishing. The Cambridge drivertook part in the 2010 MarieCurie Cancer Care PredatorCup, which is held inassociation with the PikeAnglers’ Club of Great Britain.Three years ago he camethird in the annual challenge,which is held in Ely.

ACE sea angler RolandMcCraw landed a 13-stoneskate on his latestexpedition in the waters offthe scenic island of AilsaCraig in Scotland. Roland,an Edinburgh-based Driver,sails out of Girvan, catchinga variety of fish includingpollock, ling, codling andmackerel in the seas aroundthe island.

RIVAL footballing fans MattSheldon and Andy Tolfreeare still ribbing each otherafter waiting three yearsfor their teams to meeteach other in a leaguematch.

The Birmingham trainmanagers supportNuneaton Town andStafford Rangers, who havenot clashed since Nuneatonwent into liquidation in2008.

Now that Nuneaton areback in the Blue SquareNorth League, they mettheir old rivals again,beating them 1-0.

Jubilant Matt said: “Forthree years Andy and I haveexchanged good-naturedjibes about who was goingto win whenever Nuneatongot back in the League.

“I have to say the betterteam won, though Andysays something different.”

Matt one,Andy nil

Cash hook

Big fish

SIX darts fans from Bristol make specialtrips to Wales to watch the sport – despitenever playing themselves.

The enthusiasts travel to the Cardiff InternationalArena to support their favourites in Premier LeagueDarts clashes. They don Hawaii-style shirts – thetrademark of Wayne “501” Mardell – to put them inthe mood.

Train Manager Sarah Bush, organiser of the trips,said: “None of us actually play the game but wediscovered we were all fans from an early age. We

just love the sport and will travel miles to see agood match.”Sarah’s husband Gary, Driver StevePriday, Driver Dave Ing, Senior Conductor Sam Kotand Steve’s girlfriend make up the rest of the group.

During the first part of the year the fans travel tovarious venues to watch league matches, but theyalways make sure they are in Cardiff for thesemi-finals or the final.

“My favourite player is Gary Anderson, but mycolleagues support other top performers such as PhilTaylor or Wayne Mardell,” said Sarah.

Aloha Cardiff!Darts fans don dazzling Hawaii-style shirtsas they go in search of some good arrows

TRIPLE TOPS: sporting theirdarts shirts are Senior

Conductor Sam Kot, left,Driver Dave Ing and Train

Manager Sarah Bush.

XC Life Winter 2010

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Transcript of XC Life Winter 2010