BENCHMARKING WITH INDUSTRY PEERS

On Wednesday, 8 May, our client, Rail for London (RfL), hosted the International Suburban Benchmarking Railway Group (ISBeRG) for their London visit. ISBeRG was set up in 2009 with the principal aim of finding and sharing best practices from various railways worldwide. To achieve this, the group meets twice a year and is hosted by member railways around the globe.

During the visit, the ISBeRG group had the opportunity to explore various TfL (Transport for London) modes, including our newest station on the Suffragette line, Barking Riverside. Representatives from customer experience, operations, and facilities management showcased their departments, emphasising the crucial role they play in ensuring the safety and efficiency of our railway.

The diversity of the railway industry and the global significance of public transport meant representatives from Brazil, America, South Africa, Hong Kong, Norway, Germany, and Spain were in attendance. Guests were engaged and interactive, providing insightful discussions on the similarities and differences between our operations.

Reviewing the day’s activities, Dujon Toussaint, head of stations, said: “It is a privilege to showcase the great work that we do here at Arriva Rail London, especially, to an international audience of railway colleagues. It is equally important to demonstrate why we are the London Overground operator of choice for RfL. Sharing best practices and learning from others across the railway industry encourages us to find better ways of meeting the evolving needs of our customers. Barking Riverside is a station fit for the future and we are grateful to RfL for raising its profile”.

Once the whistle-stop station tour was complete, the group headed to the Operational Business Centre (OBC) at New Cross Gate to tour the depot.

Rajdeep Ghatora, TfL Concession Contract Manager for London Overground, said, “The group loved their visit and thought Barking Riverside was a very impressive station. Everyone gave informative presentations on their area of the business, which left them with something to consider when dealing with operations on their respective railways.”

A special thank you to Dujon Toussaint for the planning and coordination. Thanks also to Neal Bailey, Simone Gordon, Kevin Kirkman, Anthony Thompson, Charlotte Whitfield, Joshua Facey, Gunnar Lindahl, Emma Askam-Johns, Patrick Tarbard, and Emma Shell for their contributions, which made this an enormous success.

Additional commendations to the station team at Barking Riverside, revenue protection team for their input on the day and Carlisle’s local operations manager, Louise Harrison.