2012 marks a year of achievement for Britain celebrating the twin blessings of stable governance and athletic excellence.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee will be celebrated on the first weekend in June. The London Olympics start on 17 July and last through August. The Paralympics will take place between 29 August and 9 September.
However many medals British athletes win the long term winner is Britain and the railway system that will serve the Games and Her Majesty with equally dedication.
This October the RailStaff Awards 2012 will celebrate the hard work and excellence of Britain’s railway staff. The men and women who deliver the railways round the clock remain the unsung heroes of an industry quietly contributing to the regeneration of an economy badly skewed by political mismanagement and easy credit.
In her speech at Infrarail transport minister, Theresa Villiers said, ‘We believe that improving our railway is a crucial way to boost growth and strengthen our competitiveness.’
In a crucial about turn the political class – this all started with Andrew Adonis – has come to view railways as a positive contributor to the economy, an engine of recovery.
As well as their day job railway people can see themselves as the firemen, engineers and signallers of the wealth creating trains that thread our national recovery. Pay scales, bonuses and subsidy remain as controversial in this industry as any other. However, railway staff need to feel valued and respected.
As the solid foundations of a new economic future are tunnelled away deep beneath London and marked out with theodolite and laser along the route of High Speed Two, the RailStaff Awards 2012 will be celebrating the achievements and professional excellence of all those involved in the rail industry.
The RailStaff Awards 2012 take place on 20th October at the International Conference Centre in Birmingham towards the high point of what will be a busy and challenging year on the railway.
The RailStaff Awards give staff the chance to nominate that special colleague whose contribution has gone almost unnoticed throughout the years. As the Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee the rail industry will be quietly making sure her kingdom is better and more efficiently united than for some years.
As RailStaff goes to press with this issue, we are pleased to announce that RIFAA has just agreed to sponsor the Rail Trainer of the Year at this year’s RailStaff Awards.
