Britain’s best stations
ANDY COWARD visits the station adjudged Large Station of the Year at this year’s National Rail Awards
National Rail Awards winners in detail
Every passenger travelling on the railway starts and ends their journey at a railway station.
For some, it may be a small rural hamlet used by just a handful of passengers each day. Others will join or alight services at one of the UK’s major stations, serving London and our other large cities.
Network Rail and the various train operating companies all understand the importance of that first impression gained by passengers as they arrive at a station. A huge amount of investment has gone into transforming hundreds of stations across the country, both to improve the facilities on offer and to make them fit for a railway network that is constantly growing - at a time when there is a constant need to provide more services and capacity to cope with that increasing demand.
Such is the importance of our railway stations, each year RAIL’s National Rail Awards (NRA) recognise four stations by awarding a coveted NRA (Major, Large, Medium and Small). The four distinct categories ensure that every station in the UK can be judged, should a train operator believe that their station stands out from the crowd.
The 2019 Large Station of the Year prize went to Derby, a city that still has the railway very much at its heart. Derby also boasts a station that has changed almost beyond recognition in the past decade, and one that the NRA judges believe sets a high benchmark for what can be achieved.
Little more than ten years ago, Derby Midland (its historic title) had a distinct air of neglect. The old concrete canopies and supports were surrounded in scaffolding and hoardings, due to their poor and deteriorating condition. And the station, certainly at platform level, had a scruffy and neglected appearance.
It was still a major East Midlands transport hub, but it seemed its glory days were long gone. And the poor presentation of the station didn’t really make for a welcoming first impression to visitors arriving at this historic city, which has always had close links with the railways.
Thankfully, those dark days are over. So much work has gone into transforming the fortunes of Derby station in the past decade that it is now a smart and attractive station providing a warm and modern welcome to travellers.
A huge amount of money has been invested
in the station during the past two years, by Network Rail and East Midlands Trains (now East Midlands Railway - EMR).
The whole station area and its approaches have been subject to a £ 200 million resignalling and refurbishment project. The trackwork approaching the station has been redesigned to improve the flow of services, while a new island platform (Platforms 6 and 7) has helped to increase capacity.
The redesigned track layout has also raised speed limits for services coming into the station and reduced the number of times that services have to be held outside the station awaiting an available platform - allowing improvements to be made in timetable planning.
The project, while disruptive to passengers for its duration, has given the city a station fit for the demands of an increasingly busy rail network.
In charge at Derby is East Midlands Railway Station and Retail Manager Rachel Sprigg. A seasoned rail professional who has worked on the railway for over 30 years (starting as a British Rail stewardess), she has been responsible for Derby for the past two years.
Much of her experience has been gained in customer service, and it is evident that she is very proud of her station and its staff.
“Everything we do has to take into consideration the impact it has on our customers. We want them to leave Derby with a positive experience of their time with us,” she explains.
“It’s a wonderful job, which I really enjoy.
But I think what makes winning the National Rail Award so special for us is how we work together as a team, and the national recognition of that teamwork. I guess most managers might say the same, but I genuinely believe that I have one of the best teams of staff on the railway - they always try to provide the highest possible level of service all the time.”
Arriving at Derby in 2017 as station and retail manager wasn’t an easy start to her time at the station, as it was shortly before the major resignalling project began. But Sprigg is quick to highlight that the disruption to services was well managed thanks to the teamwork that had been put in place in the run-up to the works.
She explains: “The planning for the project began two years before the work began, and the work done between Network Rail, East Midlands Trains and the other stakeholders ensured that by the time the project got
We can train someone how to operate the gate and what things they should be looking for, but the most important thing is to have someone who is friendly and welcoming to greet them at the gateline.
Rachel Sprigg, Station and Retail Manager, East Midlands Railway
under way our customers were well aware of the work and how it would affect their journeys. Every aspect of the project carefully considered the impact on our customers.”
Throughout the works the station remained open, even though certain routes were not available at times. Rail replacement coaches took the place of trains that could not operate on a particular route, but as many train services as possible were kept operating.
There was, in fact, only one day throughout the entire project when the station was completely closed. This was done on a Sunday to minimise the impact, but it was essential so that the newly built Platforms 6 and 7 could be commissioned and brought into use.
The work achieved on the Derby project
(and the way in which it was managed) was one of the areas highlighted by the NRA judges when awarding the highly prized Passenger Operator of the Year accolade to the now-defunct East Midlands Trains ( RAIL
888).
While the scale of the project was huge, the impact on passengers was kept to a minimum wherever possible. The communications and advance notification of the works ensured that passengers were kept fully consulted throughout and could plan their journeys accordingly.
While EMR is the principal operator at Derby, services are also operated by CrossCountry and a few by Northern. It is a busy station with a wide range of regional and InterCity services.
Walking around the station, it is noticeable just how neat and tidy it is. With seven platforms and numerous services running through the station each day, it would be easy for attention to be focused on the train operations, rather than basic housekeeping. But during my visit I did not spot a single piece of discarded litter on the floor and all the public areas of the station were neat and well-presented.
Sprigg says her staff take huge pride in keeping the station in tip-top condition, and that everyone is encouraged to pick up any litter they may find. Staff are also proactive in approaching any passengers looking as if they need assistance, rather than waiting to be approached.
As with all stations during periods of service disruptions, it can be stressful on occasions for staff and passengers alike, but Sprigg believes that proactive, approachable and friendly staff can be a positive way of disarming frustrated passengers. Staff are therefore encouraged to be visible at all times.
She explains: “Our staff are passionate about delivering a good service. But the station and its staff are very much like a family and I believe we should all look after each other.
It’s about pride in what we do, but everyone who works here shares our vision - the station team care deeply about the station and their colleagues.”
Staff on platform and dispatching duties are dedicated to a particular platform during their shift, making them responsible for the safe operation of services and customer care for passengers joining and alighting from those platforms.
As with most of the larger stations in the UK, Derby now has ticket gates controlling access to the platforms. Sprigg believes that her gateline team is one of the best on the EMR network, both in the way they treat passengers and in the way that they operate the gates to ensure that passing through the gateline is quick and stress-free.
“We recruit on personality,” she says.
“We can train someone how to operate the
gate and what things they should be looking for, but the most important thing is to have someone who is friendly and welcoming to greet them at the gateline. We want the right people in the right jobs, and personality is so important for gateline staff.”
Additionally, the station has staff who work on a concierge service, walking both in the entrance hall and on the platforms and armed with iPads, so that they can provide help and assistance to visitors and deal with any service or other enquiries. This initiative has proved to be very successful, as well as helping to reduce queues at the ticket windows and at the gateline.
The changing of a franchise is always an unsettling time for railway staff, but Sprigg is quick to explain that EMR operator Abellio is keen to build on the good work achieved by former incumbent Stagecoach, so it is very much business as usual. The changeover has been smooth, and the staff are keen to see what improvements Abellio has planned not only for Derby but also its route.
The EMR branding is now firmly visible at the station, with the deep plum colour scheme gradually replacing the former Stagecoach blue and orange. The launch of the franchise was held at Derby, with Class 222 Meridian 222104 unveiled in a striking new livery on August 19.
Standing on the platforms at Derby today, the station is virtually unrecognisable from how it was during the mid-to-late 2000s, when it seemed as if it was in terminal decline.
The ugly duckling has become a very fine swan, and Rachel Sprigg and her team of staff have worked hard to ensure that Derby is a worthy winner of that coveted National Rail Award. They can be proud of their achievements.