October 18, 2022 • 37 mins
In this episode Juliette and Lucy take to the stage and speak to Stephen Crocker, CEO of Norwich Theatre Royal, about the bustling arts scene in the East and plans for the future.
They also find out what’s it like in the hot seat in control with Addie Quinnear, who works in our control centre in Romford.
… and just how clean is the air around your station? Environment and Energy manager Steph Evans discusses a pilot to monitor air quality at some of our stations, while Brett Chalkley, joint project manager of our Stadler Fleets explains how we have to modify old trains before we return them to their leasing company.
The Fares Guru Ken Strong returns with more money saving tips, and we find out how to run a slick rail replacement bus operation with Sharon Arnold, Greater Anglia’s Rail Replacement Manager.
We’d love to hear from you, please tweet us at @GreaterAngliaPR #LifeOnRails. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast as well, and visit www.greateranglia.co.uk/podcast to discover more.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Juliette Maxim (00:02):
Hello and welcome back to Life on Rails. I'm Juliet Maxim.
Lucy Wright (00:06):
And I'm Lucy Wright.
Juliette Maxim (00:07):
We work in Greater Anglia's PR department and host this
podcast exploring one of the UK's largest train companies.
Lucy Wright (00:15):
In this episode, we speak to Steven Crocker, CEO of
Norwich Theater.
Stephen Crocker (00:19):
It's amazing to look at the city and I just
think it's got an incredible vibe to it. It has
grown and developed but it's managed to keep its quite
feisty independence, but also it's blended that old and the new
really incredibly well here.
Lucy Wright (00:35):
Our resident fares guru, Ken Strong.
Ken Strong (00:37):
Flexi season tickets are a relatively new product and what
they are is a bundle of eight tickets which can be used for a
day within 28 days.
Lucy Wright (00:47):
Sharon Arnold, Greater Anglia's Rail Replacement Manager.
Sharon Arnold (00:51):
I receive passenger loading data and that gives me a
very good idea if there's 20 buses coming off the train
or five buses worth of people coming off the train.
Lucy Wright (01:01):
Addie Quinnier, who works in our control center in Romford.
Addie Quinnier (01:04):
Clyde, the tortoise, sticks in my mind. He was a
giant African tortoise that had got onto the railway. We
were, what we call job stopped, which means that no
trains can move in that particular area.
Lucy Wright (01:14):
And Brett Chorkley, Redelivery Project Manager for Greater Anglia.
Brett Chalkley (01:17):
Everybody focuses on the new trains coming in, but the projects are re-
delivering over a thousand vehicles to four owners is a
sizeable task and one that has to be managed in
minute detail, as well.
Juliette Maxim (01:31):
To kick things off though, we're going to speak to
Steph Evans, our Environment and Energy Manager. In this episode's
Greener Anglia slot, we're going to talk about air quality
at stations with Steph Evans. Hi, Steph.
Steph Evans (01:47):
Hi.
Juliette Maxim (01:48):
Thanks for joining us. So we're currently taking part in
a pilot to monitor air quality at some of our
stations. Can you tell me a little bit about it?
Steph Evans (01:56):
Yeah, sure. So Greater Anglia, got five stations taking part
in the Air Quality Monitoring Network, which is a program
which has been funded by the Department of Transport. And
it's, basically, monitoring various key environmental pollutants that relate to
diesel exhausts, including nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. It's the
first in its kind for rail industry and it's the
(02:17):
first real look really what stations look like in terms of air
pollution, and RSSB are collating this data to provide an
evaluation of where their levels are.
Juliette Maxim (02:26):
And the RSSB, that's a national body, isn't it, a rail organization?
Steph Evans (02:30):
Yes, they're the Rail Safety Standards Board and they help to
provide advice to the rail industry on safety but also
environmental matters. So there is a project leading on air
quality which this feeds into.
Juliette Maxim (02:42):
So why nitrogen dioxide? What's so wrong with nitrogen dioxide?
Steph Evans (02:47):
So nitrogen dioxide is one of the key greenhouse gases
and it is particularly related to exhaust and diesel exhausts.
So it is a good indicator if you've got nitrogen dioxide
present that you have got diesel emissions.
Juliette Maxim (03:00):
Some pollution?
Steph Evans (03:01):
Some pollution from diesel emissions. Exactly right.
Juliette Maxim (03:03):
So it's a national project. And so which stations are
taking part in it and why did you pick them?
Steph Evans (03:10):
We've got five stations, that's Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, Ely and
Stansted Airport and they've been picked due to the trains
that go there. So the majority of them have bi-
mode, which is a train that's got two types of
power. So they can be powered by electric if there's
overhead wires, or diesel. Obviously, the key thing we're looking
for is potential pollutants from diesel. The other reason they're
(03:32):
picked is due to the difference. So you've got Norwich,
which is enclosed station and we've got Ipswich platforms that are
open. So it gives an idea of the differences between
open, closed and what, potentially, might be there with regards
to the trains that enter the platforms.
Juliette Maxim (03:46):
So they're like different controls, aren't they, in a big experiment?
Steph Evans (03:50):
Exactly. And in some of them we've also got the
monitoring placed outside. So you've got difference between the station
environment and an outside control variable.
Juliette Maxim (04:00):
So is air quality actually a problem at our stations then?
Steph Evans (04:03):
So we don't believe it is, but this is part
of a wider sustainability strategy in the rail industry looking at
a range of topics, air quality being a key one
of them. I suppose it also links into other things
such as the de- carbonizations looking at carbon reductions. So
if you can improve air quality, it also helps improve
other aspects, such as reducing emissions and reducing perhaps noise,
(04:26):
as well. I think the reality is this is the
first of its kind, so it's to find out what
the levels are and then the idea is then targets will
be put in place. If it's found that there are
issues, then improvement plans will be put in ... Look at ways
to improve it further. I think the important thing to
remember is that traveling by train is one of the better forms
of transport. The only thing that's better for the environment
(04:47):
is walking or cycling. So it's really important to remember that.
Juliette Maxim (04:50):
So how long is this pilot and what happens after that?
Steph Evans (04:55):
It's expected to carry on for two years. So it
started in January, but you really do need at least
a year's worth of data before you can really make
any adjustments just because you get seasonal variations, obviously hot
temperatures that are likely to impact on that. But the data
will then be looked at and if there's areas across
the rail network, if they decide that some areas need
(05:16):
more attention, they may look at putting different sensors in that may get
different pollutants. Obviously, the ones we've got there, they look
at nitrogen dioxide only, but there are other elements they
might want to monitor. So that's it at the moment.
Juliette Maxim (05:27):
So how are you actually monitoring the air quality? What
do you do?
Steph Evans (05:31):
We've got a number of, they're called diffusion tubes, which
are a way of monitoring air quality. They've been used
for quite a long time. They have a mesh in
the tube and, basically, it reacts if nitrogen oxide is available. So
they're put out and changed approximately every four weeks by
station staff and then they're then sent to a lab for
analysis and then the RSSB, who I mentioned earlier, then
(05:51):
collating this data and evaluating the results from it.
Juliette Maxim (05:56):
All sounds really interesting and, once again, like you said,
this isn't anything for people to be alarmed about. We
don't think the air quality is really bad in our
stations. We just want to make our industry even greener
than it is already.
Steph Evans (06:09):
Yeah, definitely. And I think environment is more higher on
people's agenda than it perhaps previously was. And definitely looking
at ... If you look at sustainable rail strategy and where
it's looking, it's focusing on a lot more areas such
as air quality, noise, carbon reduction, and I think this
is just one area that helps demonstrate that the more that's
going on to reduce and be aware of people's impact.
Juliette Maxim (06:30):
And Greater Anglia, of course, has made great strides with
different cleaner trains, haven't they? Our new trains are definitely
cleaner than the old trains.
Steph Evans (06:41):
Yeah, definitely. So the bi- mode obviously means that if
there's electricity available, the bi- mode can use electricity rather
than diesel and that means that then trains aren't idling
in stations and a diesel engine ... That whereas years ago, they
would've been. So that's definitely a case to say that
that will have helped.
Juliette Maxim (06:59):
Okay. That's brilliant. Well thank you very much for explaining
all about the pilot and we'll have to come back
in a year or so and see where we are
then. Thank you, Steph.
Steph Evans (07:07):
Thanks.
Juliette Maxim (07:11):
I'm here with Ken Strong as it's time for fares
guru and in this episode we're chatting about Flexi Season
tickets. So Ken, how are you?
Ken Strong (07:19):
I'm very well. Thanks for having me back.
Juliette Maxim (07:21):
Oh, no problem. Always good to hear from you. So
what can you tell us, what are Flexi Season tickets?
Ken Strong (07:27):
Well, Flexi Season tickets are a relatively new product. They've
been around for two or three years now and they were brought
in because of the growth of part- time commuting which,
even before the pandemic, was on the rise, and now, of
course, it's very much part of many people's working lives.
And what they are is a bundle of eight tickets which
(07:49):
can be used for a day within 28 days so
you can travel on eight days within 28.
Juliette Maxim (07:56):
They're actually on a smart card, aren't they?
Ken Strong (07:58):
That's right. You can get them on a smart card,
on a physical smart card, or you can also get
them on the GA app and validate them either by
tapping your smart card on a reader or authenticating the
ticket in the app. And once you've done it once
for that day, that's it. You tap it the once
or validate it the once and you can use it as
many times as you like during that day on your
(08:19):
chosen journey, including break of journey. So if you've got
Chelmsford to London, you can go back and forwards and stop
off if you wish.
Juliette Maxim (08:25):
It's eight tickets for the same journey to be used
within 28 days. Can you only buy one Flexi Season
ticket per 28 days or can you buy more if
you run out?
Ken Strong (08:37):
No, I mean, if you go three times a week
and so you would use them up within a couple
of weeks, then you can buy another lot straight away.
You can use them as often or as sparsely as you like as long
as you use them all up within the 28 days.
So, I mean, 28 days is four weeks, so that's
based on an average of two journeys per week. If
(08:57):
you do more than that, you'll use them up more
quickly. If you only do one journey per week, it's
probably better just to stick to buying a day return.
Juliette Maxim (09:05):
And what is the saving with the Flexi Season ticket?
Ken Strong (09:07):
The saving is up to 12 and a half percent and
in most cases on GA it's 12 and a half
percent off the Anytime Day return. Some cases it's slightly
less, and in a few very long distance cases, London to
Ipswich and beyond, it can be more.
Juliette Maxim (09:23):
So, basically, it's cheaper to buy a Flexi Season ticket
than to buy eight Anytime Day returns?
Ken Strong (09:30):
It certainly is in all cases. There is a season
ticket calculator on the GA website which you can put in and
work out what the best ticket for you is.
Juliette Maxim (09:39):
So who is the Flexi Season ticket best for?
Ken Strong (09:44):
The real target market is your traditional short to medium
distance commuter market. So the likes of Chelmsford to London,
Harlow to London, Bishops Stortford to London, short to medium
distances. As the distances get longer, the difference between the
season ticket and the Day Return varies. So it may be
worth buying the Flexi if you're going twice a week.
(10:06):
But as you go to longer journeys, if you're going three times a
week or more, the weekly or monthly season ticket would
be better value. Whereas for shorter journeys such as Chelmsford,
Harlow, Bishops Stortford, the Flexi Season is better value for
three days a week and sometimes even for four. But
you need to work out the journey that you're making
and work out what's best for you.
Juliette Maxim (10:23):
And that's easy to do, isn't it, with a season ticket calculator?
Ken Strong (10:27):
It's very easy to do, yes.
Juliette Maxim (10:29):
Perfect. And I would just like to add, as well, of course,
there is a comparable ticket for parking, as well, isn't
there? There's the flexible parking season ticket. So get your Flexi Season
ticket, get your flexible parking season ticket, and if you're
traveling into the office only a couple of times a
week, that's going to be your best bet.
Ken Strong (10:46):
That's right.
Juliette Maxim (10:47):
Okay, well thanks very much Ken and thanks very much
for joining us again and we look forward to the next
episode of your next tip on how to get a
great value fare from Greater Anglia.
Ken Strong (10:57):
Thank you.
Juliette Maxim (11:00):
It's time now for me to member of staff, and
in this episode I'm talking to Control Manager Addie Quinnier.
Welcome, Addie, and thank you for joining us.
Addie Quinnier (11:09):
Thank you for having me.
Juliette Maxim (11:10):
And we're actually in the control room, which is an
incredibly impressive building. Can you tell us a little bit
about it, please?
Addie Quinnier (11:16):
Yeah, so control is based at Romford. We sit alongside
the train lines, we can see them out of our
window behind us. We are overseeing the whole of the
Anglia network. We're in here with Network Rail.
Juliette Maxim (11:27):
It's just an incredible building, a sea of screens in
this big central room. So you're Control Manager. Can you
tell me a little bit about what that entails?
Addie Quinnier (11:37):
Yeah, so I'm one of five in a team. We
work opposite shifts, so we're never on shift with each
other, but we oversee the running of the control for
Greater Anglia. We have a counterpart with Network Rail, which
is their route control manager. We work hand in hand
with them to make sure that we're giving the best
possible service to our customers, that we handle any disruptive
(11:57):
incidents as best we can and resolve them as quickly
as possible. And there's a real mix in this room
of who we have doing certain jobs and my role
is to oversee all of that and make sure the
right decisions are being made, seeing the bigger picture, for
not just the immediate moment, but the future and how
it's going to impact the next day. We want to
make sure that whatever's going on doesn't continue to carry
(12:20):
on and we're making quick, short, sharp decisions.
Juliette Maxim (12:22):
So is that a 24/ 7 job then?
Addie Quinnier (12:24):
It is, yes. You get us for 12 hours a
day during the day and then overnight and at weekends,
bank holidays, Christmas, Easter, we're always here.
Juliette Maxim (12:32):
Greater Anglia has really redoubled its efforts to make its
service as punctual and reliable as possible and that includes
dealing with disruption and getting out of disruption as quickly
as possible. So presumably you've actually played a key role
in that. Can you tell us a little bit about
that please?
Addie Quinnier (12:49):
Yeah, absolutely. We have what we would call a contingency
plan for incidents and that's based on the location of
an incident and the severity. So if we take this
location here at Romford, we've got four tracks available to
us, two tracks that we usually use and two tracks
the Elizabeth line uses. We have access to swap over
if necessary. So if you had an incident that was
(13:10):
affecting only two lines, two tracks, we would be able
to work with Network Rail on the Elizabeth line and
reduce our train service slightly to share the access of
the other tracks. And they're the kind of things that
we would work through. You might have an incident that
actually blocks all of the lines, so you have a
completely different plan that you have to bring in based
on the infrastructure that's available to you and that varies
(13:31):
across the network depending on where it is and, like
I say, the severity.
Juliette Maxim (13:35):
Which of the incidents that you've dealt with that people might
have heard of?
Addie Quinnier (13:39):
There's not many I haven't dealt with, unfortunately. I've got
a bit of a jinx reputation. But the most frequent
are things like points failures, it might be damage to
overhead wires either through vegetation, that's trees that are too
close to the railway, or be that a train issue.
Yes, we do have the instance where, sadly, people are
hit by trains. That's obviously quite disruptive to our service
(14:02):
and to the people involved. So that takes a lot
longer to resolve. But then, like you say, we have
to do our future proofing, as well so we know
that there's engineering works coming up, we're looking at the
plans that if there's going to be any issues with
that, if there's any hint of any overruns that everyone's
heard of, we have a plan to deal with that
as it happens and we will work on an hour
by hour basis, if necessary. So we are all very
(14:24):
involved in all kinds of incidents.
Juliette Maxim (14:26):
So what incidents do you really remember?
Addie Quinnier (14:30):
I think recently Clyde, the tortoise, sticks in my mind.
He was a giant African tortoise that had got onto
the railway and, unfortunately, was struck by a train and quite
badly injured. And our driver was able to actually spot
Clyde as he was approaching and stop the train, wasn't
able to pass over the top of the tortoise. So
we were-
Juliette Maxim (14:50):
He was huge.
Addie Quinnier (14:51):
Absolutely.
Juliette Maxim (14:51):
We saw pictures of him.
Addie Quinnier (14:53):
We were, what we call, job stopped, which means that
no trains can move in that particular area. So we
did have passengers on board, a train that couldn't go
anywhere, they weren't within a station so we couldn't get
them off the train and they just had to wait
for the rescue team to come and rescue poor Clyde
and give him the help that he needed. That was
quite an interesting one.
Juliette Maxim (15:14):
It certainly sparked worldwide interest. It kept the media team
extremely busy. So much interest. Not every day that you
have to stop a train because of a giant tortoise.
Addie Quinnier (15:24):
Absolutely.
Juliette Maxim (15:25):
I'm glad to say that he seems to be doing
well. And what's the key to doing your job well?
It sounds, to me, you definitely can't panic.
Addie Quinnier (15:34):
No. My dad always described me as a swan, really calm
and serene on the surface, but kicking like crazy under
the water, and that's definitely how I get through my shifts.
Juliette Maxim (15:43):
Recently you dealt with Operation London Bridge, which was the
giant planning that went on to support the nation mourning
Her Majesty the Queen. Do you want to talk a
little bit about that?
Addie Quinnier (15:56):
Yeah, I definitely came in at the end of it
all. Obviously, a lot of the hard work had already
been done by our planning teams and everyone around, and
my part was just making sure the trains ran on
the days that they needed to run. I think probably
for the first time we ran trains 24/ 7, which
was really interesting, and I loved seeing the passenger numbers
that we actually had, the amount of people that we
(16:17):
had coming into London throughout the night. So I was
on the night shifts running up to the day of
the funeral and we did have some disruptive incidents, so
it was our priority to make sure that those that
did want to travel, continued to travel. And I feel
I played my part a little bit in making sure
that everybody that wanted to be in London for this
time was able to do so. So I've got a little
(16:37):
bit of pride in that.
Juliette Maxim (16:38):
And I've seen some fantastic comments on social media just
praising Greater Anglia for running those night services so it's
not gone unnoticed.
Addie Quinnier (16:46):
It is great, yeah.
Juliette Maxim (16:47):
Well, Addie, we could talk forever. It's really interesting. It's
an amazing environment and you're doing a great job, and
thank you so much for agreeing to be on the podcast.
Addie Quinnier (16:57):
Oh, you're welcome. Thank you for having me.
Juliette Maxim (16:58):
We're back with our regular mythbusters slot and in this
episode I'm sitting down with Sharon Arnold, who's Greater Anglia's Rail
Replacement Manager. Hi, Sharon, how are you? Thanks for joining us.
Sharon Arnold (17:12):
Hi, Juliet. It's nice to be here. Thank you.
Addie Quinnier (17:14):
So Rail Replacement Bus Manager, is that your job? What
does that entail?
Sharon Arnold (17:19):
I manage the rail replacement contract. We have a third
party supplier who actually actively delivers and procures our buses
for us. But what I do is I work within
Greater Anglia to ensure that they meet our requirements.
Juliette Maxim (17:37):
And I've used the rail replacement bus service and it
always seems like a very slick operation. You get off
the train, there's people showing you where to go, it's
easy to find the bus stops. How does it actually
work? And do we have extra staff, for instance, at
stations when it's rail replacement?
Sharon Arnold (17:57):
We do have additional rail replacement staff at key stations.
We don't have them at every station, but what we
will usually have is where someone transfers from a train
to a bus, there will normally be extra rail replacement staff
there to help.
Juliette Maxim (18:17):
So we try and make it as easy as possible
with the least amount of traipsing around.
Sharon Arnold (18:22):
Absolutely.
Juliette Maxim (18:22):
And one thing people might not understand is sometimes the
rail replacement route is different to where the engineering work
is. So, for instance, you might have engineering work between
Marks Tey and Chelmsford, but the rail replacement is Colchester
to Ingatestone. Why is that?
Sharon Arnold (18:41):
Well, that's a really good example, Juliet. So the reason
for that is the size of our rail replacement operations. A lot
of people don't realize we may have hundreds of buses
over a weekend or a single day and we have
to have ... When we're planning, we need to look at
the space that's available at the stations that we're using
(19:05):
to run the quantity of buses that we need for
the numbers of passengers. So the example that you gave,
Juliet, Chelmsford is very limited because we're using a bus
stop outside the station because there isn't a suitable car
park for us to use and we can't physically get
(19:27):
enough buses through one bus stop for everyone that needs
to catch a rail replacement bus. Whereas at Ingatestone we
take the entire car park when we're running rail replacement
and that gives us a lot of space to stack
buses up so that we can load those buses safely
so that we can have some extra standbys available.
Juliette Maxim (19:50):
It takes over 20 buses doesn't it to replace one
10 carriage train? So how do you know how many
buses to get?
Sharon Arnold (19:59):
That is a large part of my job and sometimes it
can be quite difficult, particularly more recently when passengers have
been traveling for different reasons because of the impacts of
COVID and we were still running rail replacement through COVID.
But we have a very set system. After I receive
(20:21):
passenger loading data ... And just to explain what that is,
for every bus that we use where we have got
rail replacement staff, they record how many people are getting
on that bus and that gives me a very good
idea of how busy that route is. And that gives
me a very good idea if there's 20 buses coming
(20:42):
off a train or five buses worth of people coming off a
train. And on top of that we always have some
extra standbys out in case there are extra people than
we expect.
Juliette Maxim (20:54):
And some people, I think, think that Greater Anglia has
this huge fleet of buses on hand when we've been
talking about planned engineering works, but when a tree comes
down or the overhead lines come down and you've got
to put some buses in place pronto, do we have
this big fleet of buses and how easy is it
(21:15):
to get a bus, say, at two o'clock on a
Monday afternoon?
Sharon Arnold (21:20):
I wish we had depots full of buses that were
doing nothing but, unfortunately, that's not the case. Greater Anglia
and our supplier do not own a single bus. Actually what we
do is we use a fleet of currently 115 bus
(21:40):
operators within the Greater Anglia and wider area and, basically,
our supplier contacts them and finds out what's available. Because
we're dealing with existing bus companies, they have their own
work and a lot of that work is around private hire or event travel.
Juliette Maxim (22:03):
School buses, as well, of course.
Sharon Arnold (22:04):
Yeah. A lot of our bus companies do have school
contracts, as well, as you quite rightly say. So it
can be difficult, the morning peak and the early afternoon
or mid- afternoon to get buses, because a lot of those
buses are out doing their school runs. It would be
(22:26):
very difficult at the top of the hat to find 50 or 60 buses, which is
ideally what we'd be looking for if one of our
bigger lines or routes was affected by disruption.
Juliette Maxim (22:38):
And just one more reminder, can you take a full
size bike or an e- scooter on a bus or
a coach?
Sharon Arnold (22:45):
Thank you, Juliet, for bringing that up. I'm afraid that
you can't, so you cannot bring a full size bike
on rail replacement buses. So no e-scooters and no e- cycles. That's a
bus industry standard that we align ourselves to. It's about
(23:06):
space and safety.
Juliette Maxim (23:07):
Thank you very much for joining us, Sharon.
Sharon Arnold (23:09):
Thank you, Juliet. It's been a pleasure. Thank you.
Juliette Maxim (23:15):
To get new trains, you have to send old trains
back, but they can't go back as they are. All
branding posters, stickers and even some modifications have to be
removed first. And these are called dilapidations. Brett Chalkley's our Re-
delivery Project Manager and he's here to tell us all
about it. Hello, Brett, thanks for joining us.
Brett Chalkley (23:34):
Hi, Juliet. Thanks for having me.
Juliette Maxim (23:36):
So tell us a bit about where do the old trains go?
Brett Chalkley (23:38):
They go back to their owners. We don't own our trains. Our trains are leased by leasing companies and at
the end of that period, the trains will then go
back to the owner.
Juliette Maxim (23:47):
What do we have to do with the trains before they go back then? What is this process of dilapidations?
Brett Chalkley (23:55):
So the lease with a train is very much the
same as a lease if you rent a car. It's
just a legal formal agreement and there's specific conditions laid
down in there about how we need to give them
back. Most of that is ensuring that there's continuity of
service for following on operators so that they can use the
train straight away. So we have to hand the trains
(24:16):
back to the owner in the condition that they're clean, they're
tidy, they're free of defects, they're up to date with their maintenance,
there's no vandalism. And we also have to remove things
like our branding and operator specific stickers and so on and
so forth so that they can go onto a new
operator and go in service straight away without delay because
(24:39):
the whole process is about ensuring that they can transfer
out of one operator on one day and into the
newer operator the next, as far as reasonably practicable.
Juliette Maxim (24:49):
Some of the trains that we've had, some of our old trains, we've refurbished
them, we've put in modifications so that they perform better in
autumn or that they're better, they have better accessibility. Do we
have to strip all of those out and put them
back the way they were?
Brett Chalkley (25:08):
In most cases when you do a modification, it will stay.
Juliette Maxim (25:08):
Now, we are getting 191 new trains, new longer trains
with longer carriages and more seats. And that's replacing how
many trains? How many trains are you having to send back?
Brett Chalkley (25:21):
So we're sending back 216 trains and 13 sets of coaches that
we used on the Norwich to Liverpool Street line. So
in total there's well over a thousand carriages that are
going back and it has to be planned meticulously. The
(25:42):
number of stagnant spaces in the facilities we have available
mean that that plan has to match the incoming trains perfectly
to ensure that we don't run out of space and run out of
facilities. It's a monumental task. It's one of the largest
fleet replacement programs, and everybody focuses on the new trains
coming in, but it is one of the largest new
(26:05):
fleet introductions. It's one of the largest old fleet replacements,
as well. So the project for re- delivering over a
thousand vehicles to four owners is a sizeable task and
one that has to be managed in minute detail, as
well. We have a limited amount of space, we have
a limited amount of infrastructure and facilities, so the plan
(26:29):
for trains going away needs to match the plan for
the new trains coming in absolutely perfectly.
Juliette Maxim (26:36):
And so at the same time we've had our technicians and
engineers at depots working on routine maintenance for the trains that
are in service, getting to grips with the new trains,
but they've also had to be getting the old trains
ready to go back. Sounds like a huge task for
our staff?
Brett Chalkley (26:54):
Absolutely. We've also had specialist companies come in and assist
us with things like painting and interior repairs and so
on to try and facilitate this workload. Certainly in the
early days there was an awful lot of work that
needs to be done in a very short period of time.
Juliette Maxim (27:12):
And just to say, so you just mentioned people helping
with painting, so some of the stuff that you've had to
do is, first of all, make a log of everything
that needs doing and then you've got to clean trains,
get rid of scratches, clean carpets, that's the sort of
thing that you've had to do?
Brett Chalkley (27:31):
Absolutely. I mean, it's the exactly the same process if
you gave back your car. A specialist company will come
in that's employed by the owner, if the owner doesn't
do it themselves, and they'll audit the trains down to
individual chips on individual panels and we'll have to prove
that we've repaired them. And there's a large paperwork exercise,
(27:54):
as well in making sure that we're recording each of those
defects and repairing them and agreeing that condition with the owner.
Juliette Maxim (28:02):
Okay, well thanks very much, Brett. I should imagine you
are quite pleased that the end is in sight?
Brett Chalkley (28:08):
We're getting there. We're getting there.
Juliette Maxim (28:10):
Thanks very much for joining us on the podcast.
Brett Chalkley (28:12):
Thank you for having me.
Lucy Wright (28:15):
It's now time for travel surgery and today we are
sat on the incredible main stage of Norwich Theater Royal
because we're speaking with Stephen Crocker. Stephen is Chief Executive
of Norwich Theater and leads all aspects of the organization's
work, both artistic and commercial. Norwich Theater covers Norwich Theater
Royal, the Playhouse and Stage Two. Stephen began his career
(28:36):
as a professional classical singer before entering the cultural sector,
and prior to his move to Norwich in 2016, spent
nine years at The Larry, latterly as Deputy Chief Executive.
Hi, Stephen. Thanks for joining us today.
Stephen Crocker (28:48):
Hi, thank you. It's lovely to welcome you here to
the Theater Royal stage. We don't have an audience other
than my colleagues who are cleaning up after last night's
show, but we'll try and keep them entertained.
Lucy Wright (29:02):
Of course. Now, you've been Norwich since 2016. What is it you like about the city?
Stephen Crocker (29:03):
The city is amazing and I think the city is
what sold me to come here, as well as this
amazing set of venues. I remember reflecting at the time
when the privilege of taking on this job became a
reality. I came to Norwich to re- familiarize myself. I'd
been a number of times over the years and we'd
had family holidays in Norfolk on the Broads, but I
(29:25):
never really knew it, and certainly with the life experience
I had at that point, it was amazing to look
at the city and I just think it's got an
incredible vibe to it. It has grown and developed, but
it's managed to keep it's quite feisty independence, and I use
that word really purposefully. There is that sense of real
(29:45):
independence, but also it's blended that old and the new really
incredibly well here. And, I guess, one of my favorite
views of Norwich is when you stand with The Forum
to your left and St. Peter Mancroft to the right and the city
hall and then the Guild Hall, you've got almost nine
centuries worth of people's imprint on this city. And my
own organization, Norwich Theater, with this venue, this venue's been
(30:08):
here for more than 250 years through to the Playhouse (inaudible)
our newest family of venues staged, we've got that, as
well. There is that sense of continuity but development at
the same time. That's what I love about the place.
Lucy Wright (30:20):
What do you think of the art scene here?
Stephen Crocker (30:22):
It's incredibly vibrant and incredibly varied too. I mean, the
history of culture in this place is what struck me.
So we are sitting today on one of the oldest
Theater Royal stages in the country. The notion of a
Theater Royal was a permanent license from the monarch to
put on shows. Over recent weeks when we've seen the
(30:44):
passing of Her Majesty the Queen, we felt a real
responsibility to pay that back and that's why we screened
the state funeral in this building because our original purpose
was to bring people together. And on that day we
had a thousand people here experiencing that togetherness. We take
it very seriously but, at the same time, we want
to drive the place forward. We've recently launched a new
(31:06):
four year strategy that's all about new and ambitious work,
about doing things differently, about making the work that we
do have a different impact in a post- pandemic world
and in a world that's facing a cost of living
crisis. I don't see the arts as something that can
be cut off or something that can be abandoned. The
(31:28):
arts are more essential around our mental health and wellbeing,
both individually and collectively now than ever before.
Lucy Wright (31:36):
And what have you got coming up that you're looking forward to? What are your plans for the
next few years?
Stephen Crocker (31:40):
Well, over the next few years we've set quite a
bold new strategy. And when you set any strategy, it's
as much about what you keep the same as what
you do that's different. So there'll be lots of things
that people know and love of these venues that will
remain the same. We've just come out of four weeks of Les Miserables
on this very stage and those big musicals that draw
(32:01):
huge crowds will be a staple of this program going
forward. And more new and emerging musicals at the Playhouse,
comedy, music, those big shows, those really popular dramas. And,
of course, our Christmas program, which centers on pantomime here
at Theater Royal, which is going to be a spectacular
one this year. So that continuity's really important. But going
forward, I think we're more committed than ever before to
(32:24):
international work. It's something that is quite important to me
that we celebrate diversity through internationalism and you'll see that
through circus, dance and music in particular. We produced our
first ever large scale show with Cuban dance legend, Carlos
Acosta, last year and there are lots more projects in
the pipeline from that stable, as well. We're also really
(32:47):
keen to support the origination of stories that come from
the region, both our city, our county and from the
east and to support artists wanting to tell those stories.
It's wonderful to be a big presenting house and be
a conveyor belt for work coming through, but we'd also
like to put work onto that conveyor belt, as well
and send it out from this region with great pride
(33:10):
around the country, as well.
Juliette Maxim (33:11):
Do you feel a responsibility to uplift people? I mean,
the arts is tremendously uplifting. Do you feel a responsibility
to put on positive pieces?
Stephen Crocker (33:21):
Yeah, that's a really interesting question. I think it struck
me during COVID, in the early days of COVID, which
was a very difficult period for arts and culture, in
general, and certainly for this organization. I think when we'd
spent such a long time talking about our physical health
and being instructed to stay away from each other, it
(33:43):
was very clear to me that the mental health toll,
the cost of that to our mental health was just
stacking up and this organization received quite significant funding from
the government to stay alive and come through the pandemic.
And I've always felt quite deeply that it's our responsibility
to pay that back by keeping going and providing those
(34:05):
opportunities for distraction, for entertainment, for thought provocation, for collectiveness,
for conversation, all of which, in any tangible and intangible
ways, helps support better mental health and wellbeing for communities.
Lucy Wright (34:23):
What a lovely answer.
Juliette Maxim (34:23):
So in this slot, we want to recommend somewhere on
our network for you to visit if you get any
time off. And it sounds like you are incredibly busy.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
Stephen Crocker (34:32):
I think my partner and I are quite good explorers. Since
we moved to Norwich we've enjoyed the coast, we enjoy the countryside, but
I quite love that trail of market towns that you
find, and we'll often just stop off somewhere just to
look and see and be. I think when we moved
here, as well, it's a very practical point, we moved from
(34:53):
an apartment in Manchester city center to a house that
suddenly we had rooms that we needed to put things
in. So we did quite a lot of shopping and try create
a home for ourselves. So we've become quite the connoisseurs
of the very best kind of antique shops and charity
shops. We've spent hours pottering around those places. Have an
encyclopedic knowledge of charity shops in north (inaudible) .
Juliette Maxim (35:16):
Oh, only in the north area. Well, I think we need to expand your horizon somewhat.
Stephen Crocker (35:20):
Okay.
Juliette Maxim (35:21):
I think Woodbridge sounds like a fantastic-
Stephen Crocker (35:26):
Ah, yes.
Juliette Maxim (35:26):
... place for you to go in Suffolk. Not too far away.
Stephen Crocker (35:29):
Ah.
Juliette Maxim (35:29):
It's a really lovely little town between Ipswich and Lowestoft on
our East Suffolk line, which is very scenic and it
sits on the River Deben. And I recommend it. It's
somewhere I go all the time myself-
Stephen Crocker (35:42):
Okay.
Juliette Maxim (35:42):
... to visit those damn charity shops. They are brilliant. I have
picked up some amazing bargains there. But there are also
some antique shops. And you're a musician. There's a fascinating
workshop where they make violins, and brilliant cafes. And if
you want to walk off the amazing cake, and I
would recommend the coffee and cake, there's a lovely walk
(36:03):
along the Deben, as well.
Stephen Crocker (36:04):
Ah, okay.
Juliette Maxim (36:06):
And it's not too far away on our East Suffolk line.
Stephen Crocker (36:08):
Yeah. Ah, I would love that. Actually, I've never been, so that's
a fantastic recommendation. I know that friends over the years
have either been to or worked at the school there,
as well. It's very famous for that, isn't it? Well, I will
take up that offer and gladly go and explore.
Juliette Maxim (36:27):
Brilliant. Well enjoy it. Well worth the walk around.
Stephen Crocker (36:30):
Absolutely.
Juliette Maxim (36:31):
Well, thank you very much, Stephen. It's been an absolute
pleasure and a privilege to be on stage recording Life
on Rails. So thank you very much.
Lucy Wright (36:39):
Thank you.
Stephen Crocker (36:39):
Absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for coming in.
Juliette Maxim (36:44):
And that's the end of this Life on Rails episode. We hope
you've enjoyed learning new things about Greater Anglia.
Lucy Wright (36:49):
If so, send us a tweet @ greaterangliapr and leave a
rating or review on your podcast platform.
Juliette Maxim (36:55):
Life on Rails releases every other month. So we'll be
back soon for episode eight.
Lucy Wright (37:00):
While you wait, follow or subscribe to the podcast and
visit our website at greateranglia. co. uk/ podcast for more information.
Juliette Maxim (37:08):
Thanks for listening.
Hello and welcome back to Life on Rails. I'm Juliet Maxim.
Lucy Wright (00:06):
And I'm Lucy Wright.
Juliette Maxim (00:07):
We work in Greater Anglia's PR department and host this
podcast exploring one of the UK's largest train companies.
Lucy Wright (00:15):
In this episode, we speak to Steven Crocker, CEO of
Norwich Theater.
Stephen Crocker (00:19):
It's amazing to look at the city and I just
think it's got an incredible vibe to it. It has
grown and developed but it's managed to keep its quite
feisty independence, but also it's blended that old and the new
really incredibly well here.
Lucy Wright (00:35):
Our resident fares guru, Ken Strong.
Ken Strong (00:37):
Flexi season tickets are a relatively new product and what
they are is a bundle of eight tickets which can be used for a
day within 28 days.
Lucy Wright (00:47):
Sharon Arnold, Greater Anglia's Rail Replacement Manager.
Sharon Arnold (00:51):
I receive passenger loading data and that gives me a
very good idea if there's 20 buses coming off the train
or five buses worth of people coming off the train.
Lucy Wright (01:01):
Addie Quinnier, who works in our control center in Romford.
Addie Quinnier (01:04):
Clyde, the tortoise, sticks in my mind. He was a
giant African tortoise that had got onto the railway. We
were, what we call job stopped, which means that no
trains can move in that particular area.
Lucy Wright (01:14):
And Brett Chorkley, Redelivery Project Manager for Greater Anglia.
Brett Chalkley (01:17):
Everybody focuses on the new trains coming in, but the projects are re-
delivering over a thousand vehicles to four owners is a
sizeable task and one that has to be managed in
minute detail, as well.
Juliette Maxim (01:31):
To kick things off though, we're going to speak to
Steph Evans, our Environment and Energy Manager. In this episode's
Greener Anglia slot, we're going to talk about air quality
at stations with Steph Evans. Hi, Steph.
Steph Evans (01:47):
Hi.
Juliette Maxim (01:48):
Thanks for joining us. So we're currently taking part in
a pilot to monitor air quality at some of our
stations. Can you tell me a little bit about it?
Steph Evans (01:56):
Yeah, sure. So Greater Anglia, got five stations taking part
in the Air Quality Monitoring Network, which is a program
which has been funded by the Department of Transport. And
it's, basically, monitoring various key environmental pollutants that relate to
diesel exhausts, including nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter. It's the
first in its kind for rail industry and it's the
(02:17):
first real look really what stations look like in terms of air
pollution, and RSSB are collating this data to provide an
evaluation of where their levels are.
Juliette Maxim (02:26):
And the RSSB, that's a national body, isn't it, a rail organization?
Steph Evans (02:30):
Yes, they're the Rail Safety Standards Board and they help to
provide advice to the rail industry on safety but also
environmental matters. So there is a project leading on air
quality which this feeds into.
Juliette Maxim (02:42):
So why nitrogen dioxide? What's so wrong with nitrogen dioxide?
Steph Evans (02:47):
So nitrogen dioxide is one of the key greenhouse gases
and it is particularly related to exhaust and diesel exhausts.
So it is a good indicator if you've got nitrogen dioxide
present that you have got diesel emissions.
Juliette Maxim (03:00):
Some pollution?
Steph Evans (03:01):
Some pollution from diesel emissions. Exactly right.
Juliette Maxim (03:03):
So it's a national project. And so which stations are
taking part in it and why did you pick them?
Steph Evans (03:10):
We've got five stations, that's Norwich, Ipswich, Cambridge, Ely and
Stansted Airport and they've been picked due to the trains
that go there. So the majority of them have bi-
mode, which is a train that's got two types of
power. So they can be powered by electric if there's
overhead wires, or diesel. Obviously, the key thing we're looking
for is potential pollutants from diesel. The other reason they're
(03:32):
picked is due to the difference. So you've got Norwich,
which is enclosed station and we've got Ipswich platforms that are
open. So it gives an idea of the differences between
open, closed and what, potentially, might be there with regards
to the trains that enter the platforms.
Juliette Maxim (03:46):
So they're like different controls, aren't they, in a big experiment?
Steph Evans (03:50):
Exactly. And in some of them we've also got the
monitoring placed outside. So you've got difference between the station
environment and an outside control variable.
Juliette Maxim (04:00):
So is air quality actually a problem at our stations then?
Steph Evans (04:03):
So we don't believe it is, but this is part
of a wider sustainability strategy in the rail industry looking at
a range of topics, air quality being a key one
of them. I suppose it also links into other things
such as the de- carbonizations looking at carbon reductions. So
if you can improve air quality, it also helps improve
other aspects, such as reducing emissions and reducing perhaps noise,
(04:26):
as well. I think the reality is this is the
first of its kind, so it's to find out what
the levels are and then the idea is then targets will
be put in place. If it's found that there are
issues, then improvement plans will be put in ... Look at ways
to improve it further. I think the important thing to
remember is that traveling by train is one of the better forms
of transport. The only thing that's better for the environment
(04:47):
is walking or cycling. So it's really important to remember that.
Juliette Maxim (04:50):
So how long is this pilot and what happens after that?
Steph Evans (04:55):
It's expected to carry on for two years. So it
started in January, but you really do need at least
a year's worth of data before you can really make
any adjustments just because you get seasonal variations, obviously hot
temperatures that are likely to impact on that. But the data
will then be looked at and if there's areas across
the rail network, if they decide that some areas need
(05:16):
more attention, they may look at putting different sensors in that may get
different pollutants. Obviously, the ones we've got there, they look
at nitrogen dioxide only, but there are other elements they
might want to monitor. So that's it at the moment.
Juliette Maxim (05:27):
So how are you actually monitoring the air quality? What
do you do?
Steph Evans (05:31):
We've got a number of, they're called diffusion tubes, which
are a way of monitoring air quality. They've been used
for quite a long time. They have a mesh in
the tube and, basically, it reacts if nitrogen oxide is available. So
they're put out and changed approximately every four weeks by
station staff and then they're then sent to a lab for
analysis and then the RSSB, who I mentioned earlier, then
(05:51):
collating this data and evaluating the results from it.
Juliette Maxim (05:56):
All sounds really interesting and, once again, like you said,
this isn't anything for people to be alarmed about. We
don't think the air quality is really bad in our
stations. We just want to make our industry even greener
than it is already.
Steph Evans (06:09):
Yeah, definitely. And I think environment is more higher on
people's agenda than it perhaps previously was. And definitely looking
at ... If you look at sustainable rail strategy and where
it's looking, it's focusing on a lot more areas such
as air quality, noise, carbon reduction, and I think this
is just one area that helps demonstrate that the more that's
going on to reduce and be aware of people's impact.
Juliette Maxim (06:30):
And Greater Anglia, of course, has made great strides with
different cleaner trains, haven't they? Our new trains are definitely
cleaner than the old trains.
Steph Evans (06:41):
Yeah, definitely. So the bi- mode obviously means that if
there's electricity available, the bi- mode can use electricity rather
than diesel and that means that then trains aren't idling
in stations and a diesel engine ... That whereas years ago, they
would've been. So that's definitely a case to say that
that will have helped.
Juliette Maxim (06:59):
Okay. That's brilliant. Well thank you very much for explaining
all about the pilot and we'll have to come back
in a year or so and see where we are
then. Thank you, Steph.
Steph Evans (07:07):
Thanks.
Juliette Maxim (07:11):
I'm here with Ken Strong as it's time for fares
guru and in this episode we're chatting about Flexi Season
tickets. So Ken, how are you?
Ken Strong (07:19):
I'm very well. Thanks for having me back.
Juliette Maxim (07:21):
Oh, no problem. Always good to hear from you. So
what can you tell us, what are Flexi Season tickets?
Ken Strong (07:27):
Well, Flexi Season tickets are a relatively new product. They've
been around for two or three years now and they were brought
in because of the growth of part- time commuting which,
even before the pandemic, was on the rise, and now, of
course, it's very much part of many people's working lives.
And what they are is a bundle of eight tickets which
(07:49):
can be used for a day within 28 days so
you can travel on eight days within 28.
Juliette Maxim (07:56):
They're actually on a smart card, aren't they?
Ken Strong (07:58):
That's right. You can get them on a smart card,
on a physical smart card, or you can also get
them on the GA app and validate them either by
tapping your smart card on a reader or authenticating the
ticket in the app. And once you've done it once
for that day, that's it. You tap it the once
or validate it the once and you can use it as
many times as you like during that day on your
(08:19):
chosen journey, including break of journey. So if you've got
Chelmsford to London, you can go back and forwards and stop
off if you wish.
Juliette Maxim (08:25):
It's eight tickets for the same journey to be used
within 28 days. Can you only buy one Flexi Season
ticket per 28 days or can you buy more if
you run out?
Ken Strong (08:37):
No, I mean, if you go three times a week
and so you would use them up within a couple
of weeks, then you can buy another lot straight away.
You can use them as often or as sparsely as you like as long
as you use them all up within the 28 days.
So, I mean, 28 days is four weeks, so that's
based on an average of two journeys per week. If
(08:57):
you do more than that, you'll use them up more
quickly. If you only do one journey per week, it's
probably better just to stick to buying a day return.
Juliette Maxim (09:05):
And what is the saving with the Flexi Season ticket?
Ken Strong (09:07):
The saving is up to 12 and a half percent and
in most cases on GA it's 12 and a half
percent off the Anytime Day return. Some cases it's slightly
less, and in a few very long distance cases, London to
Ipswich and beyond, it can be more.
Juliette Maxim (09:23):
So, basically, it's cheaper to buy a Flexi Season ticket
than to buy eight Anytime Day returns?
Ken Strong (09:30):
It certainly is in all cases. There is a season
ticket calculator on the GA website which you can put in and
work out what the best ticket for you is.
Juliette Maxim (09:39):
So who is the Flexi Season ticket best for?
Ken Strong (09:44):
The real target market is your traditional short to medium
distance commuter market. So the likes of Chelmsford to London,
Harlow to London, Bishops Stortford to London, short to medium
distances. As the distances get longer, the difference between the
season ticket and the Day Return varies. So it may be
worth buying the Flexi if you're going twice a week.
(10:06):
But as you go to longer journeys, if you're going three times a
week or more, the weekly or monthly season ticket would
be better value. Whereas for shorter journeys such as Chelmsford,
Harlow, Bishops Stortford, the Flexi Season is better value for
three days a week and sometimes even for four. But
you need to work out the journey that you're making
and work out what's best for you.
Juliette Maxim (10:23):
And that's easy to do, isn't it, with a season ticket calculator?
Ken Strong (10:27):
It's very easy to do, yes.
Juliette Maxim (10:29):
Perfect. And I would just like to add, as well, of course,
there is a comparable ticket for parking, as well, isn't
there? There's the flexible parking season ticket. So get your Flexi Season
ticket, get your flexible parking season ticket, and if you're
traveling into the office only a couple of times a
week, that's going to be your best bet.
Ken Strong (10:46):
That's right.
Juliette Maxim (10:47):
Okay, well thanks very much Ken and thanks very much
for joining us again and we look forward to the next
episode of your next tip on how to get a
great value fare from Greater Anglia.
Ken Strong (10:57):
Thank you.
Juliette Maxim (11:00):
It's time now for me to member of staff, and
in this episode I'm talking to Control Manager Addie Quinnier.
Welcome, Addie, and thank you for joining us.
Addie Quinnier (11:09):
Thank you for having me.
Juliette Maxim (11:10):
And we're actually in the control room, which is an
incredibly impressive building. Can you tell us a little bit
about it, please?
Addie Quinnier (11:16):
Yeah, so control is based at Romford. We sit alongside
the train lines, we can see them out of our
window behind us. We are overseeing the whole of the
Anglia network. We're in here with Network Rail.
Juliette Maxim (11:27):
It's just an incredible building, a sea of screens in
this big central room. So you're Control Manager. Can you
tell me a little bit about what that entails?
Addie Quinnier (11:37):
Yeah, so I'm one of five in a team. We
work opposite shifts, so we're never on shift with each
other, but we oversee the running of the control for
Greater Anglia. We have a counterpart with Network Rail, which
is their route control manager. We work hand in hand
with them to make sure that we're giving the best
possible service to our customers, that we handle any disruptive
(11:57):
incidents as best we can and resolve them as quickly
as possible. And there's a real mix in this room
of who we have doing certain jobs and my role
is to oversee all of that and make sure the
right decisions are being made, seeing the bigger picture, for
not just the immediate moment, but the future and how
it's going to impact the next day. We want to
make sure that whatever's going on doesn't continue to carry
(12:20):
on and we're making quick, short, sharp decisions.
Juliette Maxim (12:22):
So is that a 24/ 7 job then?
Addie Quinnier (12:24):
It is, yes. You get us for 12 hours a
day during the day and then overnight and at weekends,
bank holidays, Christmas, Easter, we're always here.
Juliette Maxim (12:32):
Greater Anglia has really redoubled its efforts to make its
service as punctual and reliable as possible and that includes
dealing with disruption and getting out of disruption as quickly
as possible. So presumably you've actually played a key role
in that. Can you tell us a little bit about
that please?
Addie Quinnier (12:49):
Yeah, absolutely. We have what we would call a contingency
plan for incidents and that's based on the location of
an incident and the severity. So if we take this
location here at Romford, we've got four tracks available to
us, two tracks that we usually use and two tracks
the Elizabeth line uses. We have access to swap over
if necessary. So if you had an incident that was
(13:10):
affecting only two lines, two tracks, we would be able
to work with Network Rail on the Elizabeth line and
reduce our train service slightly to share the access of
the other tracks. And they're the kind of things that
we would work through. You might have an incident that
actually blocks all of the lines, so you have a
completely different plan that you have to bring in based
on the infrastructure that's available to you and that varies
(13:31):
across the network depending on where it is and, like
I say, the severity.
Juliette Maxim (13:35):
Which of the incidents that you've dealt with that people might
have heard of?
Addie Quinnier (13:39):
There's not many I haven't dealt with, unfortunately. I've got
a bit of a jinx reputation. But the most frequent
are things like points failures, it might be damage to
overhead wires either through vegetation, that's trees that are too
close to the railway, or be that a train issue.
Yes, we do have the instance where, sadly, people are
hit by trains. That's obviously quite disruptive to our service
(14:02):
and to the people involved. So that takes a lot
longer to resolve. But then, like you say, we have
to do our future proofing, as well so we know
that there's engineering works coming up, we're looking at the
plans that if there's going to be any issues with
that, if there's any hint of any overruns that everyone's
heard of, we have a plan to deal with that
as it happens and we will work on an hour
by hour basis, if necessary. So we are all very
(14:24):
involved in all kinds of incidents.
Juliette Maxim (14:26):
So what incidents do you really remember?
Addie Quinnier (14:30):
I think recently Clyde, the tortoise, sticks in my mind.
He was a giant African tortoise that had got onto
the railway and, unfortunately, was struck by a train and quite
badly injured. And our driver was able to actually spot
Clyde as he was approaching and stop the train, wasn't
able to pass over the top of the tortoise. So
we were-
Juliette Maxim (14:50):
He was huge.
Addie Quinnier (14:51):
Absolutely.
Juliette Maxim (14:51):
We saw pictures of him.
Addie Quinnier (14:53):
We were, what we call, job stopped, which means that
no trains can move in that particular area. So we
did have passengers on board, a train that couldn't go
anywhere, they weren't within a station so we couldn't get
them off the train and they just had to wait
for the rescue team to come and rescue poor Clyde
and give him the help that he needed. That was
quite an interesting one.
Juliette Maxim (15:14):
It certainly sparked worldwide interest. It kept the media team
extremely busy. So much interest. Not every day that you
have to stop a train because of a giant tortoise.
Addie Quinnier (15:24):
Absolutely.
Juliette Maxim (15:25):
I'm glad to say that he seems to be doing
well. And what's the key to doing your job well?
It sounds, to me, you definitely can't panic.
Addie Quinnier (15:34):
No. My dad always described me as a swan, really calm
and serene on the surface, but kicking like crazy under
the water, and that's definitely how I get through my shifts.
Juliette Maxim (15:43):
Recently you dealt with Operation London Bridge, which was the
giant planning that went on to support the nation mourning
Her Majesty the Queen. Do you want to talk a
little bit about that?
Addie Quinnier (15:56):
Yeah, I definitely came in at the end of it
all. Obviously, a lot of the hard work had already
been done by our planning teams and everyone around, and
my part was just making sure the trains ran on
the days that they needed to run. I think probably
for the first time we ran trains 24/ 7, which
was really interesting, and I loved seeing the passenger numbers
that we actually had, the amount of people that we
(16:17):
had coming into London throughout the night. So I was
on the night shifts running up to the day of
the funeral and we did have some disruptive incidents, so
it was our priority to make sure that those that
did want to travel, continued to travel. And I feel
I played my part a little bit in making sure
that everybody that wanted to be in London for this
time was able to do so. So I've got a little
(16:37):
bit of pride in that.
Juliette Maxim (16:38):
And I've seen some fantastic comments on social media just
praising Greater Anglia for running those night services so it's
not gone unnoticed.
Addie Quinnier (16:46):
It is great, yeah.
Juliette Maxim (16:47):
Well, Addie, we could talk forever. It's really interesting. It's
an amazing environment and you're doing a great job, and
thank you so much for agreeing to be on the podcast.
Addie Quinnier (16:57):
Oh, you're welcome. Thank you for having me.
Juliette Maxim (16:58):
We're back with our regular mythbusters slot and in this
episode I'm sitting down with Sharon Arnold, who's Greater Anglia's Rail
Replacement Manager. Hi, Sharon, how are you? Thanks for joining us.
Sharon Arnold (17:12):
Hi, Juliet. It's nice to be here. Thank you.
Addie Quinnier (17:14):
So Rail Replacement Bus Manager, is that your job? What
does that entail?
Sharon Arnold (17:19):
I manage the rail replacement contract. We have a third
party supplier who actually actively delivers and procures our buses
for us. But what I do is I work within
Greater Anglia to ensure that they meet our requirements.
Juliette Maxim (17:37):
And I've used the rail replacement bus service and it
always seems like a very slick operation. You get off
the train, there's people showing you where to go, it's
easy to find the bus stops. How does it actually
work? And do we have extra staff, for instance, at
stations when it's rail replacement?
Sharon Arnold (17:57):
We do have additional rail replacement staff at key stations.
We don't have them at every station, but what we
will usually have is where someone transfers from a train
to a bus, there will normally be extra rail replacement staff
there to help.
Juliette Maxim (18:17):
So we try and make it as easy as possible
with the least amount of traipsing around.
Sharon Arnold (18:22):
Absolutely.
Juliette Maxim (18:22):
And one thing people might not understand is sometimes the
rail replacement route is different to where the engineering work
is. So, for instance, you might have engineering work between
Marks Tey and Chelmsford, but the rail replacement is Colchester
to Ingatestone. Why is that?
Sharon Arnold (18:41):
Well, that's a really good example, Juliet. So the reason
for that is the size of our rail replacement operations. A lot
of people don't realize we may have hundreds of buses
over a weekend or a single day and we have
to have ... When we're planning, we need to look at
the space that's available at the stations that we're using
(19:05):
to run the quantity of buses that we need for
the numbers of passengers. So the example that you gave,
Juliet, Chelmsford is very limited because we're using a bus
stop outside the station because there isn't a suitable car
park for us to use and we can't physically get
(19:27):
enough buses through one bus stop for everyone that needs
to catch a rail replacement bus. Whereas at Ingatestone we
take the entire car park when we're running rail replacement
and that gives us a lot of space to stack
buses up so that we can load those buses safely
so that we can have some extra standbys available.
Juliette Maxim (19:50):
It takes over 20 buses doesn't it to replace one
10 carriage train? So how do you know how many
buses to get?
Sharon Arnold (19:59):
That is a large part of my job and sometimes it
can be quite difficult, particularly more recently when passengers have
been traveling for different reasons because of the impacts of
COVID and we were still running rail replacement through COVID.
But we have a very set system. After I receive
(20:21):
passenger loading data ... And just to explain what that is,
for every bus that we use where we have got
rail replacement staff, they record how many people are getting
on that bus and that gives me a very good
idea of how busy that route is. And that gives
me a very good idea if there's 20 buses coming
(20:42):
off a train or five buses worth of people coming off a
train. And on top of that we always have some
extra standbys out in case there are extra people than
we expect.
Juliette Maxim (20:54):
And some people, I think, think that Greater Anglia has
this huge fleet of buses on hand when we've been
talking about planned engineering works, but when a tree comes
down or the overhead lines come down and you've got
to put some buses in place pronto, do we have
this big fleet of buses and how easy is it
(21:15):
to get a bus, say, at two o'clock on a
Monday afternoon?
Sharon Arnold (21:20):
I wish we had depots full of buses that were
doing nothing but, unfortunately, that's not the case. Greater Anglia
and our supplier do not own a single bus. Actually what we
do is we use a fleet of currently 115 bus
(21:40):
operators within the Greater Anglia and wider area and, basically,
our supplier contacts them and finds out what's available. Because
we're dealing with existing bus companies, they have their own
work and a lot of that work is around private hire or event travel.
Juliette Maxim (22:03):
School buses, as well, of course.
Sharon Arnold (22:04):
Yeah. A lot of our bus companies do have school
contracts, as well, as you quite rightly say. So it
can be difficult, the morning peak and the early afternoon
or mid- afternoon to get buses, because a lot of those
buses are out doing their school runs. It would be
(22:26):
very difficult at the top of the hat to find 50 or 60 buses, which is
ideally what we'd be looking for if one of our
bigger lines or routes was affected by disruption.
Juliette Maxim (22:38):
And just one more reminder, can you take a full
size bike or an e- scooter on a bus or
a coach?
Sharon Arnold (22:45):
Thank you, Juliet, for bringing that up. I'm afraid that
you can't, so you cannot bring a full size bike
on rail replacement buses. So no e-scooters and no e- cycles. That's a
bus industry standard that we align ourselves to. It's about
(23:06):
space and safety.
Juliette Maxim (23:07):
Thank you very much for joining us, Sharon.
Sharon Arnold (23:09):
Thank you, Juliet. It's been a pleasure. Thank you.
Juliette Maxim (23:15):
To get new trains, you have to send old trains
back, but they can't go back as they are. All
branding posters, stickers and even some modifications have to be
removed first. And these are called dilapidations. Brett Chalkley's our Re-
delivery Project Manager and he's here to tell us all
about it. Hello, Brett, thanks for joining us.
Brett Chalkley (23:34):
Hi, Juliet. Thanks for having me.
Juliette Maxim (23:36):
So tell us a bit about where do the old trains go?
Brett Chalkley (23:38):
They go back to their owners. We don't own our trains. Our trains are leased by leasing companies and at
the end of that period, the trains will then go
back to the owner.
Juliette Maxim (23:47):
What do we have to do with the trains before they go back then? What is this process of dilapidations?
Brett Chalkley (23:55):
So the lease with a train is very much the
same as a lease if you rent a car. It's
just a legal formal agreement and there's specific conditions laid
down in there about how we need to give them
back. Most of that is ensuring that there's continuity of
service for following on operators so that they can use the
train straight away. So we have to hand the trains
(24:16):
back to the owner in the condition that they're clean, they're
tidy, they're free of defects, they're up to date with their maintenance,
there's no vandalism. And we also have to remove things
like our branding and operator specific stickers and so on and
so forth so that they can go onto a new
operator and go in service straight away without delay because
(24:39):
the whole process is about ensuring that they can transfer
out of one operator on one day and into the
newer operator the next, as far as reasonably practicable.
Juliette Maxim (24:49):
Some of the trains that we've had, some of our old trains, we've refurbished
them, we've put in modifications so that they perform better in
autumn or that they're better, they have better accessibility. Do we
have to strip all of those out and put them
back the way they were?
Brett Chalkley (25:08):
In most cases when you do a modification, it will stay.
Juliette Maxim (25:08):
Now, we are getting 191 new trains, new longer trains
with longer carriages and more seats. And that's replacing how
many trains? How many trains are you having to send back?
Brett Chalkley (25:21):
So we're sending back 216 trains and 13 sets of coaches that
we used on the Norwich to Liverpool Street line. So
in total there's well over a thousand carriages that are
going back and it has to be planned meticulously. The
(25:42):
number of stagnant spaces in the facilities we have available
mean that that plan has to match the incoming trains perfectly
to ensure that we don't run out of space and run out of
facilities. It's a monumental task. It's one of the largest
fleet replacement programs, and everybody focuses on the new trains
coming in, but it is one of the largest new
(26:05):
fleet introductions. It's one of the largest old fleet replacements,
as well. So the project for re- delivering over a
thousand vehicles to four owners is a sizeable task and
one that has to be managed in minute detail, as
well. We have a limited amount of space, we have
a limited amount of infrastructure and facilities, so the plan
(26:29):
for trains going away needs to match the plan for
the new trains coming in absolutely perfectly.
Juliette Maxim (26:36):
And so at the same time we've had our technicians and
engineers at depots working on routine maintenance for the trains that
are in service, getting to grips with the new trains,
but they've also had to be getting the old trains
ready to go back. Sounds like a huge task for
our staff?
Brett Chalkley (26:54):
Absolutely. We've also had specialist companies come in and assist
us with things like painting and interior repairs and so
on to try and facilitate this workload. Certainly in the
early days there was an awful lot of work that
needs to be done in a very short period of time.
Juliette Maxim (27:12):
And just to say, so you just mentioned people helping
with painting, so some of the stuff that you've had to
do is, first of all, make a log of everything
that needs doing and then you've got to clean trains,
get rid of scratches, clean carpets, that's the sort of
thing that you've had to do?
Brett Chalkley (27:31):
Absolutely. I mean, it's the exactly the same process if
you gave back your car. A specialist company will come
in that's employed by the owner, if the owner doesn't
do it themselves, and they'll audit the trains down to
individual chips on individual panels and we'll have to prove
that we've repaired them. And there's a large paperwork exercise,
(27:54):
as well in making sure that we're recording each of those
defects and repairing them and agreeing that condition with the owner.
Juliette Maxim (28:02):
Okay, well thanks very much, Brett. I should imagine you
are quite pleased that the end is in sight?
Brett Chalkley (28:08):
We're getting there. We're getting there.
Juliette Maxim (28:10):
Thanks very much for joining us on the podcast.
Brett Chalkley (28:12):
Thank you for having me.
Lucy Wright (28:15):
It's now time for travel surgery and today we are
sat on the incredible main stage of Norwich Theater Royal
because we're speaking with Stephen Crocker. Stephen is Chief Executive
of Norwich Theater and leads all aspects of the organization's
work, both artistic and commercial. Norwich Theater covers Norwich Theater
Royal, the Playhouse and Stage Two. Stephen began his career
(28:36):
as a professional classical singer before entering the cultural sector,
and prior to his move to Norwich in 2016, spent
nine years at The Larry, latterly as Deputy Chief Executive.
Hi, Stephen. Thanks for joining us today.
Stephen Crocker (28:48):
Hi, thank you. It's lovely to welcome you here to
the Theater Royal stage. We don't have an audience other
than my colleagues who are cleaning up after last night's
show, but we'll try and keep them entertained.
Lucy Wright (29:02):
Of course. Now, you've been Norwich since 2016. What is it you like about the city?
Stephen Crocker (29:03):
The city is amazing and I think the city is
what sold me to come here, as well as this
amazing set of venues. I remember reflecting at the time
when the privilege of taking on this job became a
reality. I came to Norwich to re- familiarize myself. I'd
been a number of times over the years and we'd
had family holidays in Norfolk on the Broads, but I
(29:25):
never really knew it, and certainly with the life experience
I had at that point, it was amazing to look
at the city and I just think it's got an
incredible vibe to it. It has grown and developed, but
it's managed to keep it's quite feisty independence, and I use
that word really purposefully. There is that sense of real
(29:45):
independence, but also it's blended that old and the new really
incredibly well here. And, I guess, one of my favorite
views of Norwich is when you stand with The Forum
to your left and St. Peter Mancroft to the right and the city
hall and then the Guild Hall, you've got almost nine
centuries worth of people's imprint on this city. And my
own organization, Norwich Theater, with this venue, this venue's been
(30:08):
here for more than 250 years through to the Playhouse (inaudible)
our newest family of venues staged, we've got that, as
well. There is that sense of continuity but development at
the same time. That's what I love about the place.
Lucy Wright (30:20):
What do you think of the art scene here?
Stephen Crocker (30:22):
It's incredibly vibrant and incredibly varied too. I mean, the
history of culture in this place is what struck me.
So we are sitting today on one of the oldest
Theater Royal stages in the country. The notion of a
Theater Royal was a permanent license from the monarch to
put on shows. Over recent weeks when we've seen the
(30:44):
passing of Her Majesty the Queen, we felt a real
responsibility to pay that back and that's why we screened
the state funeral in this building because our original purpose
was to bring people together. And on that day we
had a thousand people here experiencing that togetherness. We take
it very seriously but, at the same time, we want
to drive the place forward. We've recently launched a new
(31:06):
four year strategy that's all about new and ambitious work,
about doing things differently, about making the work that we
do have a different impact in a post- pandemic world
and in a world that's facing a cost of living
crisis. I don't see the arts as something that can
be cut off or something that can be abandoned. The
(31:28):
arts are more essential around our mental health and wellbeing,
both individually and collectively now than ever before.
Lucy Wright (31:36):
And what have you got coming up that you're looking forward to? What are your plans for the
next few years?
Stephen Crocker (31:40):
Well, over the next few years we've set quite a
bold new strategy. And when you set any strategy, it's
as much about what you keep the same as what
you do that's different. So there'll be lots of things
that people know and love of these venues that will
remain the same. We've just come out of four weeks of Les Miserables
on this very stage and those big musicals that draw
(32:01):
huge crowds will be a staple of this program going
forward. And more new and emerging musicals at the Playhouse,
comedy, music, those big shows, those really popular dramas. And,
of course, our Christmas program, which centers on pantomime here
at Theater Royal, which is going to be a spectacular
one this year. So that continuity's really important. But going
forward, I think we're more committed than ever before to
(32:24):
international work. It's something that is quite important to me
that we celebrate diversity through internationalism and you'll see that
through circus, dance and music in particular. We produced our
first ever large scale show with Cuban dance legend, Carlos
Acosta, last year and there are lots more projects in
the pipeline from that stable, as well. We're also really
(32:47):
keen to support the origination of stories that come from
the region, both our city, our county and from the
east and to support artists wanting to tell those stories.
It's wonderful to be a big presenting house and be
a conveyor belt for work coming through, but we'd also
like to put work onto that conveyor belt, as well
and send it out from this region with great pride
(33:10):
around the country, as well.
Juliette Maxim (33:11):
Do you feel a responsibility to uplift people? I mean,
the arts is tremendously uplifting. Do you feel a responsibility
to put on positive pieces?
Stephen Crocker (33:21):
Yeah, that's a really interesting question. I think it struck
me during COVID, in the early days of COVID, which
was a very difficult period for arts and culture, in
general, and certainly for this organization. I think when we'd
spent such a long time talking about our physical health
and being instructed to stay away from each other, it
(33:43):
was very clear to me that the mental health toll,
the cost of that to our mental health was just
stacking up and this organization received quite significant funding from
the government to stay alive and come through the pandemic.
And I've always felt quite deeply that it's our responsibility
to pay that back by keeping going and providing those
(34:05):
opportunities for distraction, for entertainment, for thought provocation, for collectiveness,
for conversation, all of which, in any tangible and intangible
ways, helps support better mental health and wellbeing for communities.
Lucy Wright (34:23):
What a lovely answer.
Juliette Maxim (34:23):
So in this slot, we want to recommend somewhere on
our network for you to visit if you get any
time off. And it sounds like you are incredibly busy.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
Stephen Crocker (34:32):
I think my partner and I are quite good explorers. Since
we moved to Norwich we've enjoyed the coast, we enjoy the countryside, but
I quite love that trail of market towns that you
find, and we'll often just stop off somewhere just to
look and see and be. I think when we moved
here, as well, it's a very practical point, we moved from
(34:53):
an apartment in Manchester city center to a house that
suddenly we had rooms that we needed to put things
in. So we did quite a lot of shopping and try create
a home for ourselves. So we've become quite the connoisseurs
of the very best kind of antique shops and charity
shops. We've spent hours pottering around those places. Have an
encyclopedic knowledge of charity shops in north (inaudible) .
Juliette Maxim (35:16):
Oh, only in the north area. Well, I think we need to expand your horizon somewhat.
Stephen Crocker (35:20):
Okay.
Juliette Maxim (35:21):
I think Woodbridge sounds like a fantastic-
Stephen Crocker (35:26):
Ah, yes.
Juliette Maxim (35:26):
... place for you to go in Suffolk. Not too far away.
Stephen Crocker (35:29):
Ah.
Juliette Maxim (35:29):
It's a really lovely little town between Ipswich and Lowestoft on
our East Suffolk line, which is very scenic and it
sits on the River Deben. And I recommend it. It's
somewhere I go all the time myself-
Stephen Crocker (35:42):
Okay.
Juliette Maxim (35:42):
... to visit those damn charity shops. They are brilliant. I have
picked up some amazing bargains there. But there are also
some antique shops. And you're a musician. There's a fascinating
workshop where they make violins, and brilliant cafes. And if
you want to walk off the amazing cake, and I
would recommend the coffee and cake, there's a lovely walk
(36:03):
along the Deben, as well.
Stephen Crocker (36:04):
Ah, okay.
Juliette Maxim (36:06):
And it's not too far away on our East Suffolk line.
Stephen Crocker (36:08):
Yeah. Ah, I would love that. Actually, I've never been, so that's
a fantastic recommendation. I know that friends over the years
have either been to or worked at the school there,
as well. It's very famous for that, isn't it? Well, I will
take up that offer and gladly go and explore.
Juliette Maxim (36:27):
Brilliant. Well enjoy it. Well worth the walk around.
Stephen Crocker (36:30):
Absolutely.
Juliette Maxim (36:31):
Well, thank you very much, Stephen. It's been an absolute
pleasure and a privilege to be on stage recording Life
on Rails. So thank you very much.
Lucy Wright (36:39):
Thank you.
Stephen Crocker (36:39):
Absolute pleasure. Thank you so much for coming in.
Juliette Maxim (36:44):
And that's the end of this Life on Rails episode. We hope
you've enjoyed learning new things about Greater Anglia.
Lucy Wright (36:49):
If so, send us a tweet @ greaterangliapr and leave a
rating or review on your podcast platform.
Juliette Maxim (36:55):
Life on Rails releases every other month. So we'll be
back soon for episode eight.
Lucy Wright (37:00):
While you wait, follow or subscribe to the podcast and
visit our website at greateranglia. co. uk/ podcast for more information.
Juliette Maxim (37:08):
Thanks for listening.
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