60 SECONDS WITH JAMES DOLLING

Every Month on Exchange Extra, we take sixty seconds out to get to know our team. Follow us on our journey to connect all members of our network.

This month we introduce you to head of customer information, James Dolling!

Name: James Dolling

Job title: head of customer information

Location: Palestra

Hi James! Please sum up your role in one sentence Helping define how we can better inform our colleagues and customers with the information they need at the right time to make informed decisions.

Tell us about your journey to ARL… Prior to joining ARL in March, I worked for SWR (South Western Railway). When I was there, I worked in a variety of roles in stations, projects, and Customer Experience, the latest being the Arterio programme.

What do you look forward to most working at ARL?Working with the passionate people we have working throughout the industry to improve information for everyone. Getting the right information to the right people at the right time is really complex but I am keen to hear the ideas out there and test the different ways we can improve. A survey will be coming out soon but in advance of that urge everyone who has a idea of what could be improved to contact me!

In your career so far, what are you most proud of? I thoroughly enjoyed my time at SWR, but I would mention the Waterloo Blockade. I had a fabulous team at Clapham Junction when I managed there and during the blockade in 2017, we designed a new one-way system, agreed amended operational procedures and liaised directly with the locally community on the forthcoming plans. It was successful and was immensely proud we ran the service safely and on time.

Tell us about your most memorable railway trip… I took the Hiram Bingham from Cusco to Machu Picchu in the observation car. It was incredible with the views; it did drop us off only partly up the mountain so still a challenge to reach the peak with the altitude but an experience I will never forget.

If you could book a ticket to any destination, where would you go? This is a really difficult question; I love to travel. I have loved visiting Asia, a few years ago I visited Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand and it was awesome. The one I didn’t fit in around that region was Laos so would love to visit there, South Korea too is also one which is on the list.

ARL is committed to the internal progression, growth and development of colleagues and over the past year, more than one third of vacancies were filled internally.