Network Rail Staffing at Leeds

[NR=GBR]

Does anyone know if there's any truth in the rumours about NR taking over the running of Information points, porters and the Gatelines at Leeds?

 

[Seehof]

Porters?

 

[800001]

Porters?

Passenger Assistance!

 

[Horizon22]

Does anyone know if there's any truth in the rumours about NR taking over the running of Information points, porters and the Gatelines at Leeds?

Sounds like this would be a GBR (not going far at the moment) approach. There aren’t many NR staff who run most areas of the passenger interface at such stations, such as gatelines and info points although they often run the reception.

 

[YorksLad12]

Sounds like this would be a GBR (not going far at the moment) approach. There aren’t many NR staff who run most areas of the passenger interface at such stations, such as gatelines and info points although they often run the reception.

At Leeds it is "Network Rail Reception", but that's not for passengers. If GBR is taking over from the operators, after a fashion, then that makes sense with affected staff TUPEd across. It doesn't sound imminent though.

Having worked with Network Rail on several infrastructure projects in the past, I think if they were running passenger information and said a train was due in three minutes, I'd have to remember to add six months to that.

 

[WAB]

Sounds like this would be a GBR (not going far at the moment) approach. There aren’t many NR staff who run most areas of the passenger interface at such stations, such as gatelines and info points although they often run the reception.

Network Rail staff are generally thin on the ground at their managed stations. They tend to be station controllers, station managers, duty station managers, passenger assistance, and a degree of general customer service
Roles like gatelines, revenue and ticket retail, info points and dispatch are almost universally under TOC rather than NWR control (I can only think of one or two locations where this isn't the case).

It's all a bit of a faff, and one of the easy targets which I suspect are being lined up by GBR for more integration. I know "one station, one team" is a phrase being bandied about internally at the moment, with some steps in that direction with common uniforms etc.

 

[Horizon22]

Network Rail staff are generally thin on the ground at their managed stations. They tend to be station controllers, station managers, duty station managers, passenger assistance, and a degree of general customer service
Roles like gatelines, revenue and ticket retail, info points and dispatch are almost universally under TOC rather than NWR control (I can only think of one or two locations where this isn't the case).

It's all a bit of a faff, and one of the easy targets which I suspect are being lined up by GBR for more integration. I know "one station, one team" is a phrase being bandied about internally at the moment, with some steps in that direction with common uniforms etc.

Indeed. My post was poorly written - what I meant was the only passenger-facing roles were within reception with almost everything else as staffed by the TOC. Big stations might have both TOC and NR station managers and controllers could be either (or both). One exception is NR dispatchers at New Street but that’s understandable given the sheer number of TOCs.

Indeed some stations have gone for the “one team” approach such as London Victoria and London Bridge. As you say it’s a prime target for integration with a fair amount of duplication that could be simplified.

 

[WAB]

Indeed. My post was poorly written - what I meant was the only passenger-facing roles were within reception with almost everything else as staffed by the TOC. Big stations might have both TOC and NR station managers and controllers could be either (or both). One exception is NR dispatchers at New Street but that’s understandable given the sheer number of TOCs.

Indeed some stations have gone for the “one team” approach such as London Victoria and London Bridge. As you say it’s a prime target for integration with a fair amount of duplication that could be simplified.

They'll usually be responsible for passenger assist and customer service (they're CSAs after all) which are both passenger-facing roles.

 

[class 9]

All customer facing station staff should have been employed by an organisation separate from the TOCs at privatisation( firstly Railtrack, then NR) so they could be impartial.
Seen it many many times over the years staff that are only interested in their companies services, particularly during disruption.

 

[skyhigh]

Does anyone know if there's any truth in the rumours about NR taking over the running of Information points, porters and the Gatelines at Leeds?

I presume you're asking as a member of staff. In which case, I would ask your RMT rep as they are likely to have their ears to the ground and know more.

The recent consultation document showed that ticket office and CIP staff would go to be replaced by 19 'journey makers'. No mention of gatelines but it sounded like the plan was for staff still to be TOC employed.

 

[LowLevel]

Indeed. My post was poorly written - what I meant was the only passenger-facing roles were within reception with almost everything else as staffed by the TOC. Big stations might have both TOC and NR station managers and controllers could be either (or both). One exception is NR dispatchers at New Street but that’s understandable given the sheer number of TOCs.

Indeed some stations have gone for the “one team” approach such as London Victoria and London Bridge. As you say it’s a prime target for integration with a fair amount of duplication that could be simplified.

The one team thing is a bit patchy. I've seen Northern dispatchers at Man Picc wearing station tabards but it is a bit hit and miss whether they actually wear them or not. The only ones I've seen wearing them fairly routinely on the TOC side have been the supervisors, the same at Lime Street.

New Street was an odd one. The dispatch staff used to be employed by Central Trains but all moved to NR en masse in 2007, along with some other assistance staff. I remember it caused a right stink at the time as it meant that any of them who weren't safeguarded lost all of their travel facilities.

To be fair though the issue of divergent job roles and terms and conditions is a huge one throughout the industry which has only got worse through each round of refranchising.