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The employee magazine of Arriva Trains Wales/Trenau Arriva Cymru

SUMMER 2017

Champions League operation hailed great success CENTRE PAGES

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Railway exceeds all expectations A

S many of you are aware I will be leaving Arriva Trains Wales shortly to take up another opportunity. While the timing of this isn’t ideal, coming as it does with some 17 months left of the franchise, I felt I had to take on the new challenge at this point in my career.

So this being my final Managing Director’s column it is for me a moment to reflect on my 14 years with the business.

I joined as the new Wales and Borders Franchise started in 2003. The Franchise had been created by combining various bits of Great Western, Wales and West, Central Trains, Valley Lines and First North Western.

It probably isn’t stretching a point to say that what had been created was a bit of a basket case from its awful performance (I remember 80 per cent was considered a ‘good day’), to its culture where for example some of the station staff at Cardiff Central were reluctant to work with those on Platforms 6 and 7 because they were ‘Valleys’.

The contract had been let by the now-defunct Strategic Rail Authority as a ‘no investment, no growth’ proposition – in hindsight a very poor decision, particularly as bidders had offered investment and additional or new trains.

However, despite the problems, what I found wherever I went were proud and

By Managing Director IAN BULLOCK talented railway people. It has been through these foundations coupled with investment that we have built a railway that has exceeded all expectations, outstripping them to the extent that coping with capacity is now our biggest issue.

That we have created such a successful entity in Wales and the Borders is the reason that the next Franchise demands significant Government investment. This is great news not just for our customers but also for those who work in the industry. It has been my experience that a growing railway means more employment, and indeed we have more than 400 more staff today than in 2003.

While I don’t know what the next Franchise will specify, I’m sure change will come with the investment. I believe we are fortunate in having in the Welsh Government a client body that really wants the railways to succeed.

So while the railway has always changed (where have all the stokers gone!), and the pace of change will I’m sure continue, I would encourage you to embrace change. I’m certain an adaptable railway that meets

Win Amazon vouchers with new app AMAZON vouchers worth £50 are up for grabs in our fun competition using the new Arriva Trains Wales AR app. Just download the app, follow the instructions below, watch the content launched from the magazine and find the answer to this question:

Q.

How many extra seats were laid on to transport crowds for the UEFA Champions League Final?

Email your answer to : katrina.tzannis@arrivatw.co.uk by Friday August 11.

customer needs is one that will continue to grow and be successful for all those that work in it.

So my final thought is to answer in print a question I’ve been asked a few times recently: what is it that I’m most proud of?

For me it’s one that relates to our people and that’s the introduction of apprenticeships.

Having started my career on the railway at a time of the Rail Training Scheme (in essence the rail version of the Youth Training Scheme) and seen how that provided opportunities to so many young people who went on to have great careers, it’s been fantastic to see this brought so successfully into Arriva Trains Wales.

There is nothing better than seeing an experienced rail colleague taking time and showing pride in passing on their experience to a young person and seeing them subsequently learning and growing themselves.

So as I embark on a new challenge I would like to wish you all at Arriva Trains Wales the very best for the exciting future ahead and to thank you for your help and the fond memories I will take with me.

Tap into bonus content with the Arriva Trains Wales augmented reality (AR) app The free app, called Arriva Trains Wales AR, is available to download to smartphones and tablets from App Store and Google Play and will bring photographs to life in this magazine using the power of augmented reality.

To access the bonus interactive video content, simply follow the three easy steps:

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Top in UK for

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right time

running S

TAFF are being praised for their hard work after Arriva Trains Wales notched up a top-of-the table success for its outstanding right-time performance.

During the last two railway periods the Train Operating Company occupied number one position in the National Performance League Table – despite the challenges of the hot weather and increased passenger numbers during the UEFA Champions League finals.

Right Time performance is measured on whether trains reach the final station within 59 seconds of the booked time.

Factors in the table-topping performance include the additional Platform 8 at Cardiff Central which has made a significant difference in the ability to recover the service when incidents happen.

The Fleet team has introduced several work streams under Project Zero which focus on improved customer satisfaction through delivering continued excellence.

Meanwhile, key changes to the May timetable have maximised capacity across

Head of Performance Gregg Evans at Cardiff Central station by a departure board showing Arriva Trains Wales services running on time.

key routes, resulted in less unstaffed station delays and delivered a more robust timetable to customers.

The company’s number one performance status has been reported by a number of media outlets including WalesOnline.

The performance figures indicate that

Arriva Trains Wales is on course to deliver its strategy of achieving a 93.5 per cent Public Performance Measure figure for the year.

Please keep up to date with how Arriva Trains Wales is doing via the daily performance sheet which is published across the business.

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Download the Arriva Trains Wales AR app from App Store or Google Play.

Scan the photo on the pages where you see this AR icon.

TO SEE VIDEO

When the video starts double tap your screen for a full-screen view to take away.

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Decade of undoubted success MACHYNLLETH’S £3 million Traincare Facility is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The depot, funded entirely by Arriva Trains Wales, was officially opened on August 13, 2007 with Arriva Chief Executive David Martin in attendance.

Taking on extra workload, the depot was equipped to carry out both A and B exams within the planned maintenance schedule and it also hosts periodic heavy cleaning.

Highlights through the years have included work related to the ERTMS signalling system, upgrading all Class 158s on the Cambrian line with WiFi and achieving 1,000-plus days without a lost time accident.

“We were also recently shortlisted by National Rail for Maintenance Team of the Year,” said Head of Production Dave Watts.“Our great 33-strong team is highly-committed to developing rail industry expertise in the heart of Mid Wales.”

Festival is win, win ARRIVA Trains Wales backed the Machynlleth Comedy Festival with £5,000 sponsorship – and its train services were a key factor in the success of the event.

More than 1,000 added rail journeys were made over the three days of the festival. As part of Arriva Trains Wales’ partnership with the organisers members of the public were given the chance to win free tickets to travel to the event and some of the shows.

The winners, picked at random from social media platform Twitter, were Paul and Heather Morgan from Aberystwyth. A number of Arriva Trains Wales staff took advantage of free show tickets on offer.

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Head of Customer Experience Barry Lloyd gives information to customer Lisa Marie Butler to help her with her journey home to Port Talbot from Cardiff Central station.

Task force ready in times of disruption A

special task force has been set up by Arriva Trains Wales to help keep passengers informed during times of major service disruption.

A 20-strong group of specially trained employees based mainly at St Mary’s House in Cardiff is on stand-by to mobilise to platforms at Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street when a call goes out. They will support front line staff to inform customers of

the specific problem causing the disruption, reassure them that Network Rail (if infrastructure related) and Arriva Trains Wales Control have been informed and help them solve their journey problems.

The Passenger Information During Disruption (PIDD) initiative has been launched in response to customer feedback around delays in the National Rail Passenger Survey. Members of Arriva Trains Wales’ road

transport team are also on stand-by to help supervise the rail replacement service.

Co-ordinating the PIDD exercise is Barry Lloyd, Head of Customer Experience, in liaison with Steaphanie Garner-Joel, Customer Information Manager based in the Welsh Route Operations Centre, who is currently reviewing the roles and responsibilities of the PIDD team and seeking further volunteers.

Carmarthen roadshow is well received CARMARTHEN hosted the first in the latest series of Employee Roadshows which are being held around the Arriva Trains Wales network. With Directors and senior managers in attendance staff are being given the opportunity to ask questions on whatever topics are important to them including the franchise arrangements.

Human Resources Director Gareth J. Thomas and Head of Communications Lewis Brencher were among those in

attendance. Issues which were discussed at the roadshow included temporary lighting in the groundframe, the Fishguard timetable and the painting of staff bays amongst others.“The Roadshow was very well received by the staff who welcomed the chance to have their say,” said Conductor Manager Andrew Tipples.

Staff should visit the intranet for details of upcoming locations with the next being at Holyhead on August 17.

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Top notch team work Presentation team up for Spotlight Award after outstanding performance

T

HE outstanding work of Arriva Trains Wales’ Train Presentation team has been recognised with a Spotlight Award nomination.

The 31 staff complete a variety of tasks ranging from quick turnaround cleans required throughout the day enabling trains to return into service, to Periodic Heavy cleans which are a more stringent in-depth clean.

Due to the large amount of units in the fleet the staff have demanding workload coupled with a tight schedule to complete their work.

A typical night shift at Canton requires the cleaning of up to 70 trains per evening.

“Often following weekends and special events they can encounter some unpleasant and potentially dangerous situations yet their continued dedication and hard work makes them great champions of the Customer

Train Presentation Manager Craig Williams, centre, with member of the team at Canton, left to right, Day Cleaners James Sullivan and Jahan Chamini, Nights Team Leader Lynne Bartlett and Day Cleaner John Defiglio.

Experience pillar,” said Craig Williams, Train Presentation Manager.

The largest group of cleaners works 1900 hours to 0630 on a nightly basis at Canton (28 staff ) while a day shift works 0800 – 1700 (three staff ). There are also cleaning teams at Rhymney (two staff ) and Treherbert (two staff )

who work a night shift pattern.

The Train Presentation employees are also responsible for the cleanliness and upkeep of the depots in which they work.

At Canton members recently painted their own cleaning block.“The attitude and commitment of the overall team has recently been highlighted by

its nomination for a Spotlight Award by Canton Head of Production Chris Pascoe, echoing the sentiments of everyone in the network recognising the excellent job they perform,” added Craig.

The team leaders are Canton-based Andrew French and Lynne Bartlett.

Helen overcomes injury to run London Marathon

Helen Simmonds with her medal after running the London Marathon.

HELEN Simmonds fought back from injury to run the London Marathon and raise money for a cause which means a lot to her.

The Arriva Trains Wales Project Manager raised £745 for the British Heart Foundation.

Her mother suffers from a rare congenital heart disorder and five years ago she helped residents in the local village of Oakdale, Caerphilly, set up a memorial to 15-year-old Jack Thomas.

The teenager died of an undiagnosed heart condition as he watched Wales play rugby in the Six Nations tournament.

Helen was determined to run in the London Marathon this year despite having sustained a

sprained ankle last October. The member of Islwyn Running Club, who has previously competed in the Cardiff Half Marathon, said:“I got myself back to fitness by doing a long training run every weekend and increasing my weekly distance to 20 miles.

“I struggled around the half-way mark on the day but settled into a groove, managing to finish just six minutes over my target time of six hours.”

The plucky runner added:“Heart disease and defects are becoming a lot more prominent now and this was at the back of my mind as I competed in the race.”

Helen was sponsored by Arriva Trains Wales to the tune of £100.

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Real Madrid fans arrive at Cardiff Central station.

Match day volunteer, Finance Business Partner Clare Fellows, with Juventus and Real Madrid supporters on Platform 3a.

Customer Service Assistant Joanna Knaggs with a leaflet giving passengers information about returning to the station.

Helping a Juventus fan pass through the barriers is Customer Service Assistant Julia Moore.

Crowd management operation rated

Champions League standard I

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Champions League Project Manager Len Sharps outside the National Stadium of Wales.

Pontypridd Station Environmental Officer Phillip Bendle gives directions to Juventus fans.

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T was billed as the greatest sporting event in the world in 2017 – and Arriva Trains Wales rose brilliantly to the unique challenge of delivering thousands of travelling fans safely to and from the venue.

More than 300,000 passionate supporters from around the globe flooded into Cardiff on June 3 to watch the UEFA Men’s Champions League Final in which Real Madrid beat Juventus 4-1 at the National Stadium of Wales.

Following the Train Operating Company’s highly-successful resourcing and crowd management operation – the biggest it had ever undertaken – plaudits and praise have flooded in from stakeholders.

Ken Skates, Economy and Infrastructure Secretary, gave his seal of approval and Welsh Government colleagues indicated they were delighted with execution of the transport operation while appreciating the huge planning effort.

Carwyn Jones, Welsh First Minister, praised the efficiency of the transport network while Manfred Rudhart, Chief Executive Officer of Arriva, thanked employees for their “really great

work”. Customers took to Twitter to say that transport arrangements to and from the Final had been a “well-oiled machine from a local perspective” and to offer thanks to “all the staff and volunteers who kept Cardiff running”.

Over four days the city also hosted the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final and the Festival of Football.

Arriva Trains Wales drew up a staffing plan for the women’s and men’s finals at Cardiff Central station with extra volunteers at Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay. The meticulous planning that went into the event included a test of queueing arrangements, ticket checking processes and communications at two earlier events.

“Our plans recognised that the UEFA Champions Festival was a much bigger event than had previously been catered for and that a football rather than a rugby crowd would be attending,” said Len Sharps, Project Manager.

“We put together a bespoke training course working with Jonathan Edwards, Customer Services Trainer, prioritising the safety and security of both

passengers and our internal volunteers.

“From a customer service point of view the course gave pointers on how we could make sure attending the Champions League event was the best possible experience for visitors both on the railways and in Cardiff in general.”

Non-operational staff from St Mary’s House, who volunteered to join frontline staff in helping to manage the crowds, attended the course at St David’s House which made use of the hi-tech Platform-Train Interface (PTI) simulator as well as video clips showing crowd management at other matches played by the finalists.

Also attending were operations managers and employees from First Great Western and Network Rail.

Vital to the success of the delivery was partnership working with the Welsh Government, Cardiff Council, the FA of Wales, First Great Western, Network Rail and the British Transport Police.

Key elements of the Arriva Trains

Match day volunteer, Network Rail Commercial Scheme Sponsor Alice Worsley, with a group of Juventus fans at Cardiff Central station.

Wales plan at the events included strengthening of services, the use of the car park at the back of Cardiff Central station as a queueing and

passenger processing area from 9.30pm, and the deployment of additional electronic signage to boost customer service.

THE COVER PHOTO shows Customer Service Advisor Jordan Arundel outside Cardiff Central station with Real Madrid and Juventus supporters.

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Real Madrid fans arrive at Cardiff Central station.

Match day volunteer, Finance Business Partner Clare Fellows, with Juventus and Real Madrid supporters on Platform 3a.

Customer Service Assistant Joanna Knaggs with a leaflet giving passengers information about returning to the station.

Helping a Juventus fan pass through the barriers is Customer Service Assistant Julia Moore.

Crowd management operation rated

Champions League standard I

SCAN PHOTO

TO SEE VIDEO

Champions League Project Manager Len Sharps outside the National Stadium of Wales.

Pontypridd Station Environmental Officer Phillip Bendle gives directions to Juventus fans.

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T was billed as the greatest sporting event in the world in 2017 – and Arriva Trains Wales rose brilliantly to the unique challenge of delivering thousands of travelling fans safely to and from the venue.

More than 300,000 passionate supporters from around the globe flooded into Cardiff on June 3 to watch the UEFA Men’s Champions League Final in which Real Madrid beat Juventus 4-1 at the National Stadium of Wales.

Following the Train Operating Company’s highly-successful resourcing and crowd management operation – the biggest it had ever undertaken – plaudits and praise have flooded in from stakeholders.

Ken Skates, Economy and Infrastructure Secretary, gave his seal of approval and Welsh Government colleagues indicated they were delighted with execution of the transport operation while appreciating the huge planning effort.

Carwyn Jones, Welsh First Minister, praised the efficiency of the transport network while Manfred Rudhart, Chief Executive Officer of Arriva, thanked employees for their “really great

work”. Customers took to Twitter to say that transport arrangements to and from the Final had been a “well-oiled machine from a local perspective” and to offer thanks to “all the staff and volunteers who kept Cardiff running”.

Over four days the city also hosted the UEFA Women’s Champions League Final and the Festival of Football.

Arriva Trains Wales drew up a staffing plan for the women’s and men’s finals at Cardiff Central station with extra volunteers at Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Bay. The meticulous planning that went into the event included a test of queueing arrangements, ticket checking processes and communications at two earlier events.

“Our plans recognised that the UEFA Champions Festival was a much bigger event than had previously been catered for and that a football rather than a rugby crowd would be attending,” said Len Sharps, Project Manager.

“We put together a bespoke training course working with Jonathan Edwards, Customer Services Trainer, prioritising the safety and security of both

passengers and our internal volunteers.

“From a customer service point of view the course gave pointers on how we could make sure attending the Champions League event was the best possible experience for visitors both on the railways and in Cardiff in general.”

Non-operational staff from St Mary’s House, who volunteered to join frontline staff in helping to manage the crowds, attended the course at St David’s House which made use of the hi-tech Platform-Train Interface (PTI) simulator as well as video clips showing crowd management at other matches played by the finalists.

Also attending were operations managers and employees from First Great Western and Network Rail.

Vital to the success of the delivery was partnership working with the Welsh Government, Cardiff Council, the FA of Wales, First Great Western, Network Rail and the British Transport Police.

Key elements of the Arriva Trains

Match day volunteer, Network Rail Commercial Scheme Sponsor Alice Worsley, with a group of Juventus fans at Cardiff Central station.

Wales plan at the events included strengthening of services, the use of the car park at the back of Cardiff Central station as a queueing and

passenger processing area from 9.30pm, and the deployment of additional electronic signage to boost customer service.

THE COVER PHOTO shows Customer Service Advisor Jordan Arundel outside Cardiff Central station with Real Madrid and Juventus supporters.

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By Finance and Commercial Director SAM HAWKINS

A strong start to the year reflects your commitment AS we approach summer, it’s an opportune time to reflect on whether we are on track to deliver the challenging financial targets we set ourselves at the beginning of the year.

After a sustained period of slow growth in 2016, following the economic uncertainties post-Brexit, we set ourselves a conservative but challenging revenue growth target (3.1 per cent).

I am pleased to say we are so far ahead of this target (YTD 4.6 per cent growth); a key driver being the strong performance in North Wales, largely driven by dedicated fares changes made at the May 16 Fares Setting Round.

West Wales remains a concern, with the decline in revenue we saw in 2016 continuing into this year. Recent targeted marketing activity has had positive impact but it is vital we continue to promote and protect our revenue, and we will be looking at strengthening revenue protection activity over the coming months.

We would welcome your views on how we can further protect/enhance revenue collection – any ideas are welcome.

Our good operational performance and our focus on operational efficiency, through such initiative as ‘looking after the pennies’ also means we are able to continue to invest in the franchise.

We are looking at investing a further £2.8m this year, of which £1.8m will be enhancing our retail systems to improve the ease at which our customers can buy a ticket and the reliability and robustness of our systems – look out for the updates in the Retail New’.

In summary, we have had a strong start to the year achieved through consistent performance delivery and your commitment in protecting our revenue as well as providing excellent customer service – this is our balance scorecard approach, which so far is enabling us to meet our challenging financial targets that underpin our strategy. It is imperative that we keep up this focus and in doing so continue our ability to deliver on our targets.

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Dave Bell with his Spotlight award certificate.

Top marks for Dave FIVE times D

AVE Bell’s outstanding service at Porth station has always been recognised by his customers – and now it has received a remarkable official recognition.

The Customer Service Advisor has received a 100 per cent score in the Mystery Shopper assessments FIVE TIMES in a row. Dave, who regularly receives thank you letters from satisfied customers, has been given an Arriva Trains Wales Spotlight award to mark his achievement.

He believes providing an “understanding ear” at the ticket office is vital and he also takes a great pride in keeping Porth station spic and span.

The Union Rep took up the reins at Porth

four years ago, soon becoming known as the unofficial “Station Supervisor”.

As well as looking after the ticket office he comes in early to work every day to make sure the station is litter-free and has even offered his services as a First Aider when two passengers fell on ice.

“It’s great to receive the accolades as a sign that I am switched-on to giving everyone a pleasant customer experience,” said Dave, who joined Arriva Trains Wales as a conductor in 2002 and then became a Customer Service Advisor at Cardiff Central before moving to the Valleys.

“I speak to everyone in the way I would like to be spoken to and give all of my customers individual attention.”

Thanks for weathering the storm A big thank you has been sent to employees across the network for their sterling work during Storm Doris on February 23.

Among those praised were Driver Team Manager Stephen Hann and

Conductor Instructor Gareth Evans who helped a signaller remove a large tree that had fallen across the Wrexham-Bidston line.

Both have been nominated for Spotlight Awards.

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Courses to develop

staff potential E

MPLOYEES looking to fulfil their career ambitions are taking part in two exciting programmes which develop their skills.

For the first time a Leading With Confidence (LWC) course is underway for supervisors.

The four-day programme completes the learning pathway for supervisors and managers alongside Management Foundation, Evolve and Aspire courses.

It covers a wide range of skills to support supervisors in their role including using effective communication, improving performance and motivation and recognising conflict.

“I believe that implementing what I have learned will have a positive impact on my team,” said Neil Jones, Gate Line Supervisor, who is one

Conductor Instructor Owen Ludlow, who has benefited from a MaDe course, talks through conductor competence standards with Team Organiser Vicky Morris at St David’s House, Cardiff.

of the participants.

Meanwhile 12 candidates have been welcomed onto Arriva Trains Wales’s ongoing talent programme – MaDe – which is a springboard to develop the potential of those aspiring to be managers.

Over the next year the group will attend workshops every two months which cover a variety of topics and are built around the company’s strategic priorities under the five Pillars.

They will also work in smaller groups on a project which will be proposed by senior leaders.“I feel extremely privileged to have been selected for the MaDe course

after completing a gruelling assessment process,” said Jonathan Horton, Cardiff Valleys Driver.

“It’s great to commit to a year of learning with like-minded colleagues to better understand the behaviours and values underpinning the business”.

Liz Prince, Head of Leadership and Organisational Development, said: “Identifying and developing individuals with aspirations for future management is something Arriva Trains Wales has been doing successfully for more than 10 years now.

“The MaDe programme continues to be one of our most successful talent programmes and many people have gone on to forge successful management careers following the programme.”

By Safety and Operations Director STEVE TYLER

Maintaining concentration is essential IN this column I would like to put the spotlight on the very important issue of SPADs (Signals Passed at Danger).

Behind each one of these serious operating incidents is an immediate cause and a number of underlying causes, but a common theme through most of them is a lack of concentration on the task at hand.

Losing focus on an important task can be serious in any role but as a driver the consequences can be very severe indeed. Fortunately no injuries or damage occurred as a result of any of the five recent incidents but in slightly different circumstances it could have been different.

Drivers from our Valleys Depots had gone over 22 months without a SPAD and even though it’s disappointing that the long run has ended it is still a very impressive record and I hope it’s more than 22 months until the next similar event.

I’m always very impressed with the professionalism and pride shown by people in our business whenever I’m out and about on stations, on trains or in our offices.

The fact that we’ve had a run of incidents doesn’t change that view but it does mean that I must take the opportunity to remind everyone, in whatever role you do, to put safety at the forefront of your mind.

Concentrating on the task at hand and not allowing yourself to be distracted is incredibly important.

My motivation for repeating this kind of message is that I want everyone to get home safely at the end of their working day and look forward to returning for their next shift.

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Five minutes with James Nicholas James, Arriva Trains Wales’ Communications Manager, takes time out from his busy schedule to answer our questions. James, aged 30, lives in Killay, Swansea, and is married to Helen with a nine-month-old son William and 10-year-old step-daughter Bethany.

What are you doing at the moment?

My role as Communications Manager means that I deal with all things that are press James Nicholas related. I provide reactive comments to pictured monitoring any stories about us in the news to try to the newspapers as limit any damage to our reputation. I also part of his job as do proactive work with the media Communications pushing the positive news about Arriva Manager.

Trains Wales and our people to as many sources as possible.

What made you want to join Arriva Trains Wales?

One of my good friends Tom Owens had joined the company a couple of years before and was really positive about Arriva Trains Wales as a great place to work. I was a reporter at a local paper but the news industry was going through a tough time and with a baby on the way it seemed like a great company to move to.

What is the most unusual thing that has happened in your working career?

As a reporter I ended up in a few unusual situations which included encountering a ‘cage of death’ in a circus, abseiling down the side of a hospital and sailing on a small boat crossing the Irish Sea. How do you relax?

I love playing football, cricket, running and reading. Having a

nine-month-old baby has reduced the first three but I have an hour commute to work so I’m still getting through plenty of books – a good way of unwinding on the way home.

What did you want to be when you were growing up?

A footballer or a fighter pilot.

Which famous people alive or dead would you invite to a dinner party?

Peter Kay, Terry Pratchett, Amelia Earhart, George Orwell and Percy Harrison Fawcett.

What are your favourite music and films?

Books: anything by Bernard Cornwell, Terry Pratchett, Philip Kerr and Roald Dahl.

Music: Rolling Stones, Stereophonics, Feeder, Bruce Springsteen and Coldplay.

Films: Gladiator, the Indiana Jones series, Back to the Future and Braveheart.

If you could go back in time what period would you choose to go back to and why?

Probably the start of the 20th Century as there was so much change going on in the world and so many events that you could live through such as WW1, the Titanic, the Russian Revolution, votes for women, the Irish Easter Rising and the development of aircraft.

What is your most valuable possession?

Not a possession really but my family has to be the most valuable.

What is your favourite place in the world?

Too many to mention them all but I lived in Aberystwyth for 10 years and that will always be special, and being a Fulham supporter, Craven Cottage has to be up there too!

What’s the best bit of advice you have ever been given?

That it’s better to regret things that you’d done than things you didn’t do. From a friend in college called Michael Langdon.

Taff is proud to be a third-generation railwayman A Carmarthen driver is proud to be a third-generation railwayman. Instructor Driver Taff Roberts, aged 57, was inspired to join the rail industry by the example of his father and grandfather.

His grandfather Alix Roberts – who was a steam driver instructor – began

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his career in 1920 and retired in 1968.

Alix’s twin brother Albert was also a rail man. Taff’s father Jack Roberts joined the railway in 1941 as a cleaner then was passed as a fireman, being promoted to driver at Birmingham Tyseley depot in 1952 before he retired

in 1969 at the end of the steam era.

“Both my dad and grandad took me out on trains when I was younger and they passed on their knowledge to me,” said Taff.“I am sure they would be proud that I have been a dedicated rail man for 31 years.”

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Ticket machines upgrade improves reliability M

OST of the Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) on stations around the Arriva Trains Wales network have now been upgraded to ensure increased reliability, speed of use and security.

The machines have received a makeover as part of a £700,000 improvement to retail systems under the 2017 Revenue Protection strategy.

A total of 66 TVMs supplied by Schiedt and Backmann (such as the one pictured, in Chester) have received an upgrade of their Pin Entry Devices into which cards are inserted.

A further 77 machines supplied by Worldline are progressing well with their Pin Entry Device upgrades and they are also set to receive and upgrade of their internal PCs. At 10 stations such as Penarth the Ticket Vending Machines are being replaced completely.

Customer Service Advisor Graham Mullock advises customer Ann Cooper on the use of the Ticket Vending Machines at Chester station.

“It’s good news for customers because the reliability of the TVMs will improve without a doubt,” said Chad Collins, Head of Retail.

“The industry-standard electronic payment cards are also more secure.”

Card-only TVMs are having additional printers added with a change to internal

metalwork to stop tickets getting stuck.

Other initiatives under the Revenue Protection strategy include customer education, improvements to the website, mobile website and mobile app and extra barcode scanners to check tickets on the mobile app on gatelines.

Soccer manager completes memorable double triumph Chris Davies with the two trophies won by his team Llandysul AFC.

CARMARTHEN Conductor Chris “Coco” Davies was a star footballer when he was younger – and now he is having success as manager of one of the teams he represented.

His current team Llandysul AFC are in the top division of the Carmarthenshire League and this season they are unbeaten.

Under Chris’ guidance they have won the league championship for the first time in 68 years and they have lifted the Emrys Morgan Cup.

During his earlier career as an attacking midfielder he played for Carmarthen Town and Milford United in the Welsh League and represented both Cardiganshire and Pembrokeshire league select sides.

He played alongside ex-Cardiff City, Aston Villa and Wales star Mark Delaney.

“I’ve managed teams for five seasons now, going unbeaten with two different clubs,” said Chris.“It’s great to complete the memorable double with Llandysul.”

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Plan to take running club around the network

Conductor Yvonne Mills pictured at Crewe station. Below, Yvonne shows the thank you card she received from a grateful customer.

Going extra mile to

return bicycle T

HOUGHTFUL Yvonne Mills devised a bespoke solution when a customer had a crisis involving a pushbike.

The Crewe Conductor displayed excellent customer service when a lady approached her in distress as the late-night Cardiff-Crewe service pulled into Abergavenny.

She had chained her bike to the luggage rack at the start of her journey but found she could not undo the combination lock when she was reaching her destination.

Yvonne, having tried in vain to release the bike herself, took the customer’s details and said she would find a way of getting it back to her.

“I told her not to panic and to leave it to me,” she said.“I alerted Control that when the train got back to Crewe we would need someone with an axle grinder to free the bike.”

When the service reached its final destination Yvonne made sure the problem was solved by fitters in the LNWR shed at the depot.

With the bike cut loose she then arranged for it to be kept overnight

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behind the counter by Virgin staff on Crewe station before collecting it the next day and taking it back to re-unite it with the passenger at a re-arranged time at Abergavenny.

“She was absolutely thrilled and later sent me a thank you card with some chocolate,” said Yvonne.

The conductor’s line manager Carol Hilton said: “Yvonne displayed real professionalism and did great work under the Customer Experience pillar.”

THE members of the newly-formed Arriva Trains Wales Running Club are putting out a call to like-minded colleagues around the network.

“It’s not a competitive club – yet – and we are enjoying the networking, keeping fit and improving our personal bests,” said Kira Burke, Head of Financial Reporting, who set up the club along with Neil Driscoll, Operations Assurance Manager.

“We enter any local race we can find but we are mainly working towards the Cardiff 10k in September and the Cardiff Half Marathon in October. We are currently looking for running captains across the Arriva Trains Wales network to organise local running groups. The idea is to have a network-wide Running Club and take part in races in Shrewsbury, Chester and North Wales.”

Kira and her co-runners are set to design and procure their own club kit, funded by the company which is also covering race entry fees for regular runners.

New runners of all abilities are welcome to meet at reception at St Mary’s House on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm.

People across the network who are interested in setting up their own groups should email kira.burke@arrivatw.co.uk or neil.driscoll@ arrivatw.co.uk

Have you got news for us?

IF you have a story for Aspect please contact Internal Communications Manager Katrina Tzannis by emailing katrina.tzannis@ arrivatw.co.uk or call 02920 720687.