The railway’s unsung heroes.
In the last issue ( RAIL 862), we published details of this year’s winners at RAIL’s National Rail Awards, and Richard Clinnick rightly wrote in Comment about how essential it is to salute the railway’s heroes - especially when the industry itself is under fire.
Richard ment ioned Great Western Railway’s John Phare, who won a Judges’ Special Award for bravely tackling a knifewielding man who was repeatedly stabbing another man at Plymouth station.
Phare’s incredible courage under circumstances nobody should ever have to face could not - and should not - have passed without recognition by the industry. No matter what the wider railway is going through, it is never right not to say thank you to individuals such as Phare.
We therefore wanted to highlight some of the other amazing people who were finalists in the NRA’s Outstanding Personal Contribution ( OPC) category. They also deserve our thanks for their service to this industry, but their stories have yet to be told because not everyone can win an NRA trophy... London Northwestern Railway’s (LNWR’s)
Scott Nickels is a dispatcher at Euston station. On January 25, station staff were made aware of a first aid incident. An ambulance had been called for a man who had taken a nasty fall and who was bleeding profusely. When Nickels reached the scene, he could see something sticking out of the man’s bleeding shin. It later turned out to be a compound fracture.
Nickels and a colleague ran to get the first aid kit, and Nickels immediately took control. He applied pressure to the wound and remained there until the paramedics arrived, who praised Nickels for his efforts to help the passenger.
His quick thinking, and ability to overcome the sight and smell of so much blood, saved the man (who was on prescription bloodthinning medication) from a much more serious situation. Nickels used his previous experiences to recognise the danger the man was in - considering the medication he was taking - and acted quickly to help.
So, we’d like to say thank you Scott, for being a hero to someone when they needed it most.
Govia Thameslink Railway is required under its contract to deliver ten ‘Try a Train’ (TaT) programmes each year. The idea is to build confidence in using the railway among individuals who find it a daunting or unnerving experience - because of anxiety issues or disability, for example. The programme requires a lot of organisation and effort to be successful, and it takes the right kind of person to get the best results.
Joe Healy is a station manager for Thameslink, based at Bedford. He is hugely passionate about working with his local communities and has personally invested significant time, energy and passion into making the TaT programmes really work.
Each programme introduces individuals to the station layout, the facilities available, an explanation of how ticketing works, and a chance to take a sample ride on the train. The aim is to leave people feeling confident about using the railway in the future.
Rather than just sticking to GTR’s obligations, Healy has actively sourced local charities and user groups that he feels would most benefit from extra support to make the railway more accessible. And he has organised ten programmes for about 100 people, making a real difference to their feeling of independence.
Healy’s manager Samantha Bowler says that his commitment to the local community is an inspiration for the company, and that he does not seem to realise the real impact he is having… because, to him, he’s just doing his job.
Schemes such as this are so important for enabling every part of society, not only to make the most of the railway, but for people to seek independence in a way they might not have been able to before. So, thank you Joe, for empowering all those people to enjoy the freedom offered by train travel.
There were a great many other worthy individuals who were nominated for an NRA OPC award this year - we could write a whole issue about them, but sadly we only had room for two.
We know there must be many other incredible people working in this industry whom we never get to hear about. If you’ve met someone on the railway who you think deserves recognition for brilliant customer service, incredible human kindness or outstanding bravery, we’d love to hear about them. Please send us your stories at rail@
bauermedia.co.uk and we’ll endeavour to ‘say thank you’ to your heroes.