I have become increasingly concerned over the last week or so about the tone of some debates on this forum. Anyone who has a legitimate criticism or complaint to make is immediately branded as anti-rail. Others feel there is a clear anti-staff bias. Some posters clearly don't have anything substantive to contribute to the debate and simply resort to being overly-defensive, sarcastic and rude. This isn't how it should be!
Sure there are a few notorious posters who have nothing positive to say (on both sides of the debate). However, taking a step back from the heat of the moment, most discussions I read and contribute to are balanced and informative and draw on the expertise of staff, passengers and enthusiasts alike. As an avid reader of the Trip Reports section I see nothing but praise for our railways from the enthusiast community. Informal discussions with Mods at forum meets reveal they receive as many complaints about posts being anti-rail as they do for posts being anti-passenger. Much of the legitimate criticism I observe is levied against TOC policy rather than railway staff themselves.
Clearly, then, the perception this forum is inherently anti-rail and anti-staff is unsustainable, but it got me thinking as to why some people may feel this way. Perhaps it's because of the old adage that no news is good news - we only get to hear about the bad things that happen. We expect excellent service to be the norm so when we receive it we don't give it a second thought. This forum also of course has a whole section dedicated to disputes and complaints, and so most of the posters there are a self-selecting sample. Is this heavy focus on the negative distorting the perception of balance on this forum? Is this why some resort to vociferous outrage and objection every time when a negative comment about the railway is made?
Well, let us redress this balance with this thread!
I propose we take the time to show railway staff we appreciate the job they do. We all know things go wrong on our railways and staff occasionally let us down, but if we're honest most of the time our journeys go smoothly. Sometimes we are bowled over by the dedication and professionalism of staff who go the extra mile and put a real amount of pride into their work. So, have you witnessed a member of staff go the extra mile to make your journey more enjoyable? Have you been impressed with the helpfulness or dedication displayed by staff? This is the place to sing your praises about our railway and its staff!
Before we kick off let's lay out a few ground rules:
1. Let us stay focused. Only post here if you wish to compliment a specific member(s) of railway staff for the service you have received or witnessed first hand.
2. Compliments only please. As indicated, there are plenty of other threads to go to if you have an issue (with staff or passengers alike).
3. Tell us why you're celebrating the member(s) of staff. What made them stand out for you?
4. Forum rules specify we shouldn't give any information which may lead to a person's identity being revealed. So when singing our praises let's be mindful of this and confine ourselves to date, TOC, your origin and destination (or simply location if you wish to praise platform staff) and AM or PM.
5. If you have been motivated to post here, why not also consider letting the TOC know directly, so they can appropriately acknowledge and reward their staff?
Allow me to kick off. I'd like to celebrate the East Midlands Trains guard on a packed PM service from Crewe to Derby on 4 September (I think!). Each passenger that boarded at his door received a "good afternoon" as they got on. While on board he made a point of not only checking everyone's / selling tickets but also built a fantastic rapport by asking everyone how they were and what plans they had for the day. When someone pointed out to him the tannoy was very crackly and couldn't be heard over the engine noise he resorted to walking up and down the train to announce upcoming stops.
Sure there are a few notorious posters who have nothing positive to say (on both sides of the debate). However, taking a step back from the heat of the moment, most discussions I read and contribute to are balanced and informative and draw on the expertise of staff, passengers and enthusiasts alike. As an avid reader of the Trip Reports section I see nothing but praise for our railways from the enthusiast community. Informal discussions with Mods at forum meets reveal they receive as many complaints about posts being anti-rail as they do for posts being anti-passenger. Much of the legitimate criticism I observe is levied against TOC policy rather than railway staff themselves.
Clearly, then, the perception this forum is inherently anti-rail and anti-staff is unsustainable, but it got me thinking as to why some people may feel this way. Perhaps it's because of the old adage that no news is good news - we only get to hear about the bad things that happen. We expect excellent service to be the norm so when we receive it we don't give it a second thought. This forum also of course has a whole section dedicated to disputes and complaints, and so most of the posters there are a self-selecting sample. Is this heavy focus on the negative distorting the perception of balance on this forum? Is this why some resort to vociferous outrage and objection every time when a negative comment about the railway is made?
Well, let us redress this balance with this thread!
I propose we take the time to show railway staff we appreciate the job they do. We all know things go wrong on our railways and staff occasionally let us down, but if we're honest most of the time our journeys go smoothly. Sometimes we are bowled over by the dedication and professionalism of staff who go the extra mile and put a real amount of pride into their work. So, have you witnessed a member of staff go the extra mile to make your journey more enjoyable? Have you been impressed with the helpfulness or dedication displayed by staff? This is the place to sing your praises about our railway and its staff!
Before we kick off let's lay out a few ground rules:
1. Let us stay focused. Only post here if you wish to compliment a specific member(s) of railway staff for the service you have received or witnessed first hand.
2. Compliments only please. As indicated, there are plenty of other threads to go to if you have an issue (with staff or passengers alike).
3. Tell us why you're celebrating the member(s) of staff. What made them stand out for you?
4. Forum rules specify we shouldn't give any information which may lead to a person's identity being revealed. So when singing our praises let's be mindful of this and confine ourselves to date, TOC, your origin and destination (or simply location if you wish to praise platform staff) and AM or PM.
5. If you have been motivated to post here, why not also consider letting the TOC know directly, so they can appropriately acknowledge and reward their staff?
Allow me to kick off. I'd like to celebrate the East Midlands Trains guard on a packed PM service from Crewe to Derby on 4 September (I think!). Each passenger that boarded at his door received a "good afternoon" as they got on. While on board he made a point of not only checking everyone's / selling tickets but also built a fantastic rapport by asking everyone how they were and what plans they had for the day. When someone pointed out to him the tannoy was very crackly and couldn't be heard over the engine noise he resorted to walking up and down the train to announce upcoming stops.
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