To say the past year and more has been challenging for the railway is an understatement of the highest order, and in our last issue we revealed the operator winners at the annual Golden Whistle awards, recognising the huge operational challenges train companies and Network Rail Routes have faced during the pandemic.
Each year the Institution of Railway Operators invites entries for those individuals and teams who have gone the extra mile to deliver o say the past year and more has been challenging for the outstanding operations, and there was a healthy crop of entries for the 2021 awards. Normally these awards are presented at a meeting of the Modern Railways Fourth Friday Club in London, but in this pandemic year this was not possible and the awards were instead presented directly to the winners at their places of work.
ELECTRONIC WHISTLES
The joint winners of the Golden Whistle in the Outstanding Individual section were Thameslink Customer Service Operations Manager Nina McGovern and Southeastern Station Manager Elliot Waters, for rethinking how trains could be dispatched safely during the pandemic.
The trusty operating tool of the whistle clearly presented a risk to staff and passengers at the platf…
