LET S GO TOGETHER SUMMER 2010 YOUR STAFF MAGAZINE

Transcription

1 SUMMER 2010 YOUR STAFF MAGAZINE LET S GO TOGETHER NEW TRANSLINK MARKETING CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED PAGE 6 TRANS LINK PROGRAMME PAGE 8 SAFETY IS TOP PRIORITY PAGES 10 & 16 COMPETITION! PAGE 24

2 2 EXPRESSLINES WELCOME TO EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 3 Summer 2010 YOUR STAFF MAGAZINE Clare Costello Editor Welcome! At your service... Welcome to the Summer 2010 issue of Expresslines in which we bring you news of our new advertising and marketing campaign Let s go together. The innovative new advertisement shows how we touch the lives of all kinds of people, helping them to get to where they need to be. Have you got an interesing hobby or sport story? Or, have you, your team or your department achieved something you would like your colleagues to know about? We include an update on the company s Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Managing Safely Programme; highlighting the importance of understanding and managing any safety risks associated with our work. the editor: clare.costello@translink.co.uk Other news we bring you introduces the Trans-link Programme an exciting new group-wide programme being developed to ensure our business is best prepared to meet and deliver to the needs of the future. Elaine McCurdy Sub-editor Thanks to Paul Flannagan, Electrician and Night Shift Chargehand, who tells us about the historic success of St Galls GAA club and to Robert Thompson, Omagh Depot Engineer, who took part in the All in a day s work feature. We look forward to receiving your suggestions for the next issue and your feedback on this issue. Clare Costello Editor We want your stories, comments and feedback to publish in the next issue of Expresslines. the Sub-editor: elaine.mccurdy@translink.co.uk Send by post: Expresslines, Marketing Department, Translink, Central Station, East Bridge Street, Belfast BT1 3PB Pop in: Marketing Department, Central Station Telephone: This magazine is available, upon request, in a range of formats eg, braille, large print or audio tape. Please ring EXPRESSLINES IS THE STAFF MAGAZINE FOR TRANSLINK EXPRESSLINES SUMMER 2010 is published by Translink, the integrated public transport services provided by Metro, NIRailways and Ulsterbus. SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS Keeping you connected 06 6 EXPRESSLINES Design: Whitenoise Photography: Various Print: Commercial Graphics EXPRESSLINES Straight Talking Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Managing Safely New Translink Marketing Campaign Let s go together This new campaign was developed in response to research which found that while overall the Translink brand was well liked, there was scope to highlight the softer aspects of the brand. Let s go together is about enhancing the positive image we already have but also about showing the more emotional aspects of the Translink brand such as caring, nurturing and enabling; showing how we look after our passengers, care about the environment and simply how we help people to travel. The innovative new advertisement uses coloured dominoes to symbolise our integrated bus and rail networks and shows how we touch the lives of all kinds of people, helping them to get to where they need to be. The TV advert was shot in a studio in Belfast using real people who live and work in Northern Ireland; together with some of the latest computer generated action and green screen techniques. If you want to see some of the action from behind the scenes you can visit our website and view images taken on the day: asp the key service brands. There are huge business benefits to be derived from investing in the Translink brand in terms of helping to retain our current customers and attracting new passengers, especially in the current economic climate. The Let s go together concept shows how we can touch the lives of thousands of people every day simply by bringing family, friends and colleagues together to visit new places or just helping them to get to where they need to be; but we also want it to relate to you our employees in terms of going forward together. From Merci to PC EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES Awards EXPRESSLINES 13 Awards have continued to roll in for Translink during congratulations to everyone involved. PayPoint top-up service launched take an exam and also submit a risk assessment associated with their sphere of responsibility. Both the exam and the practical are marked by an external examiner approved by IOSH. IOSH also validate the examiners marking. The risk assessment is a live document and used by managers to further improve safety. By now you will have hopefully seen our new advertising and marketing campaign Let s go together. Our vision is to provide integrated travel solutions that are attractive, sustainable and good value. PRODUCTION Editorial: Dolores Vischer, DVPR Services, EXPRESSLINES 07 We hope that you will be part of this campaign to help drive and support it Together we are Translink Let s go together! The campaign ran throughout June and we plan to re-run it again in the autumn. So if you didn t get an opportunity to see it this time around you ll have another opportunity to catch it again. Translink in conjunction with Total Safety Management is accredited to deliver the Institute of Occupational Safety Management (IOSH) Managing Safely course. The course is a nationally recognised safety management qualification which promotes high standards of accident, ill health and environmental impact prevention in all employment sectors. The course takes place in-house and is delivered by Stephen Humphrey, Corporate Health & Safety Advisor. This course is complimented by the internal 3 Day Safety Representatives HSE course. 1. Why is it important for Translink staff to manage safely? Safety is about understanding and managing the risks associated with our work. It involves staff, customers and the general public. Good standards of safety are rarely acknowledged, but poor standards can give rise to a wide range of consequences. On the human side there might be injury, sometimes death and certainly an increase in anxiety and stress for both those directly (staff) and indirectly (families and friends) involved. On the business side there is potentially damage to our reputation, threats to our business and associated Speaking about the new campaign, Norman Maynes, Head of Business Development explains: The aim of the TV advert and the Let s go together campaign is to raise awareness of the Translink brand and its relationship with 6. Keeping You Connected News of our new advertising and marketing campaign Let s go together. job security, unnecessary costs and possibly prosecutions or other legal actions. Thinking about safety and more importantly behaving safely at all levels avoids accidents. 2. What is covered on the course? As the course takes place in-house the contents are tailored to meet our specific needs. The course is quite intensive and subjects covered include: Introducing managing safely (understanding risk). Assessing risks. Controlling risks. Understating your responsibilities. Investigating accidents and incidents. Measuring performance. Protecting the environment. 3. Who is the course for? The course is for staff that have either direct or indirect responsibility for other staff. This includes managers, professional technical staff, supervisors and inspectors. The course is provided as part of a 4 year manager/supervision HSE development program. 4. What is involved to achieve the qualification? At the end of the 3 days managers and supervisors 5. Why should Managers/Supervisors attend? The law places additional responsibility and accountability on managers for the safety of employees and people who come into contact with work processes. This course ensures that those groups of people have an adequate understanding of their responsibility and the tools necessary to be able to do their job. More importantly Translink believes that it is the right thing to do. 6. How is the program progressing? We are now more than half way through the program with 220 people in receipt of their certificate. We have achieved a first time pass rate of 94%, with an overall pass rate of 100%. The formal and informal feed back from those attending has been very positive and there is increasing evidence that the training is being put to good practical use. The latter being the most important aspect of the program. 7. Supporting initiatives The IOSH course is supported by the provision of in-house training for current and newly appointed trade union safety representatives. The training, which is bespoke to Translink, supplements the basic training provided by the trade unions. The course is highly practical with delegates given the opportunity to practice risk assessment, inspections and accident investigations in different scenarios. Feedback from this series of courses has again been very positive. We will shortly be starting a continual development program for those that have attended the 3 day courses. Action Renewables Association Awards South Eastern Regional College (SERC) has joined forces with the TSSA Union Learning Project to equip Translink staff with language skills to help them communicate better with the increasing number of tourists. French and Spanish classes have commenced and have proved so popular that IT courses have been now been added to the training schedule. Mark Wilkinson, TSSA s Learning Organiser states Investing in the up-skilling and education of people within the workforce is acknowledged by most employers as a major factor in the success of a business. Workforce development is an ongoing process, and one which can only benefit both employee and employer. PICTURED: (l-r) Mark Wilkinson, TSSA learning Organiser, with Translink employees Ciara Sheppard and Gerry Kennedy. PICTURED: (l-r) Passenger Nikki Wilkinson is shown the new top-up facility by Ticketing Systems Manager, William McGookin, and PayPoint s John Lavery. Translink NI Railways commitment to safety Translink NIRailways is committed to improving safety and reducing risk and for this reason are in the process of developing and introducing new Professional Policies for its Operational staff and Supervisors. The policies form part of an overall strategy that sets out how NIRailways Operations propose to further improve its safety performance. The key objective of the policies is to further develop staff professionalism, competence and their understanding of human factors through the promotion of the five key areas of professionalism: IRSE Licenses Awarded Translink and retail network provider PayPoint have launched a new customer service that enables Translink smartcard customers to top-up both Smartlink and ilink travel cards at over 900 PayPoint Agents across Northern Ireland. William McGookin, Ticketing Systems Manager, said: With Translink s smartcard product range the emphasis has always been on customer convenience and value for money. Smartlink and ilink cards not only offer great value for money but they also help to speed up bus boarding times making overall journey times faster for everyone. Eye-catching point of sale material has been displayed at over 900 PayPoint agents across Northern Ireland, promoting top-up for Translink smartcards. Acting professionally Minimising the risk of error Safe working Managing lifestyle and fatigue Maintaining a professional working environment To date Drivers and Signallers have been briefed on their draft new policies to give them an opportunity to provide feedback before finalisation. We will keep you up to date on how the campaign progresses. 10. Straight Talking Update on the company s Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Managing Safely Programme Brochure of the Year Award At the annual Coach Tourism Awards Ulsterbus Tours were proud winners of the Brochure of the Year award for their new-look Summer 2010 brochure. The judges commented that the combination of first class design, easy to read layout, and clearly laid out information made it a very worthy winner. Climate Change Award in the Awards assessment. The awards support Translink employees in developing a culture of continuous environmental improvement and aim to enhance the journey experiences of passengers through the visual appearance, environmental performance and quality of local facilities. This year s awards attracted the highest level of entries to date with 38 stations taking part with 10 more stations across Northern Ireland being awarded Gold status. Translink has won a top accolade for the innovative and sustainable action we have taken towards reducing our own carbon footprint. Awarded by Business in the Community, these awards are Northern Ireland s most influential and well respected corporate responsibility awards. Pictured: (l-r) Philip Reid, Energy Engineer; Paul Slaney, Engineering Technical Manager, and David Lowry, Technical Engineer. Translink Scoop Platinum and Gold Awards from TIDY NI Downpatrick Buscentre and Jordanstown Railway Station have been presented with Platinum TIDY Translink Awards by TIDY Northern Ireland for achieving a 100% mark Pictured: (l-r) Greg McKernan, Translink Ulsterbus Inspector for Downpatrick, Dr Ian Humphries, TIDY NI, Gary Mawhinney, Service Delivery Manager for Downpatrick and Catherine Mason, Group Chief Executive. Brian Weighman is now one of Translink s 25 Signalling personnel holding the internationally recognised Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) license. He was recently presented with his IRSE License for Combined Signalling Maintainer and Fault Finder. Translink s assessing team have also been recognised as Associate Members of IRSE. Pictured: (l-r) Philip Wiltshire, IRSE; Jim Coughtrie, IRSE; Brian Weighman, IRSE License Holder; Darren Donaldson and Colin McVea, Translink s IRSE Competency Assessors; and Huw Bates, Translink s IRSE Workplace Assessor. Placement Employer of the Year Translink were recently presented with a Placement Employer of the Year Award, Staff Nomination Category, at the University of Ulster s annual award ceremony. Nominated by one of the University s academics the award reflects our continued commitment to the placement experience, which forms a central part of the student s degree. Translink was recently presented with an award for Delivering Sustainability in Business. The awards recognise and reward businesses who are leading the way in identifying the importance of renewable energy and sustainability as well as embracing renewable technologies within the green industry in Northern Ireland. Pictured: (l-r) Collette O'Neill, Action Renewables Green Goddess, Philip Lowry, Technical Engineer, Susan Kinane, ESB IE, and Michael Doran Director at Action Renewables Pictured: (l-r) Prof Richard Millar, University of Ulster; Maura Gallagher, Brand Coordinator; Lynda Shannon, Communications Manager; and the BBC s Donna Traynor. Newry Rail Station Belfast Business Awards The design and architecture of Newry Rail Station was recognised at two recent awards ceremonies: Pictured: (l-r) Andy Bate, Environment Officer, Philip Reid, Energy Engineer, Lynda Shannon, Communications Manager and David Lowry, Technical Engineer pictured at Belfast Central Station with Translink s Belfast Business Award Highly Commended certificates for Best Green Business and Corporate Social Responsibility. RSUA (Royal Society of Ulster Architects) Design Awards 2010: Award Buildings over 3 million category. RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Northern Ireland Awards 2010: Commended Community Benefit category. 12. Awards Round up of awards success across the company. CONTENTS Promotions News 14 Nature Notes Mailbox 04 All in a days work 05 Awards Keeping you connected News 08 This time it s Personal 15 It s all in the name of charity 09 News 16 Straight Talking Family Life

3 Mail box All in a days work 04 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 505 Translink Metro Driver Sean McKeever sets a great example I travelled on the No. 77 bus from Rosetta to the city centre and noticed how well mannered, courteous and professional the bus driver was to the passengers, including myself. He is a credit as its understandable how stressful it can be to drive a bus in rush hour traffic in Belfast. It is important that drivers have the skill and manner to deal with passengers in this case Sean was a great example. M Bagnall, Rosetta Driver Thomas Kane provides great service My wife and I have just returned from a very enjoyable visit to Belfast. We arrived at George Best airport and our first contact was the driver of the Airport Express 600 bus who took us to the Europa Buscentre. This man needs to be recognized for his cheerful, helpful manner. He gave us some great recommendations as to activities and places to see, and he had a terrific sense of humour. Please pass our kindest regards to him and thank him for his great service. R & D Black, Canada Translink Ulsterbus Drivers David Clarke and Giles Patterson praised I would like to praise two drivers operating the 273 service from Omagh to Belfast. I am registered blind and it was the first time I travelled alone using Public Transport; I couldn t have made this journey without their assistance. When I arrived in Belfast the driver of the bus ensured I was fully aware of my surroundings and assisted me getting a taxi. The driver on my homeward journey was equally as helpful, ensuring I met up with my wife when I got off the bus. M Archer, Omagh Driver Jim McGraw an exemplary employee I would like to commend Ulsterbus driver Jim McGraw for the excellent service he provides to the local community. Jim is an exemplary employee and I have great comfort in knowing my daughter is travelling on a bus operated by such a dedicated driver on the school service from Lurgan to Sacred Heart Newry. I remember Jim driving me to school many years ago and he was a gentleman then, and is still a gentleman now. L Furphy, Lurgan Inspector Dennis Lowry, Europa Bus Station staff and security praised for help I was taken seriously ill at the Europa Bus Station and without the faultless assistance of your staff, including Inspector Dennis Lowry, I would not be alive today. Due to the swift reaction of your staff I was rushed to casualty where they found I had a clot on my lung. Words cannot express my thanks to the staff that assisted in this matter. The highly professional and well trained staff should be commended for their action and speedy response. P Brookfield, Londonderry Translink NIRailways Outstanding customer service I am contacting you with thanks for the outstanding level of customer service that my family received when we travelled from Londonderry via Coleraine and onto Portrush for a daytrip. All the trains were clean, tidy and ran exactly on time and all staff were exceptionally friendly and are a fantastic asset to your company. G Preston, Omagh Sincere thanks for Joe Hollyoak, Station Supervisor I wish to thank you most sincerely for your help and kindness after my friend had a bad fall on the escalator at Central Station. Each and every one of your colleagues who came to our assistance, especially Gerry Black (Corporate Catering), were most considerate and kind to us. I thank you also for looking after us so well and I am happy to say we arrived home safe and well. Kindness from Sarah Magee, Portadown Line Supervisor Sincere thanks for your kindness during my panic attack over my missing handbag. I found you so helpful and kind and I just want you to know how much I appreciated your help. L Hughes, Dublin Other Services ilink integrated smartcard My 16 year old daughter purchased her first ilink card yesterday, and travelled with a friend from Derry to Belfast on the Flyer and then onto Belfast Zoo and they had a ball. They are both absolutely sold and intend to top up over the next week or so and sample the train. They were also impressed with the bus driver from the zoo to Belfast city centre, they weren t familiar with the stops and he ensured they got back to the Europa bus station to get their bus to Derry. H.D. Coleraine Travel Centre/Stranraer sales & operational staff s hard work appreciated I am writing to thank you and all your staff for ensuring my trip back home to Bournemouth was possible. I used the Cross Channel service during the recent ash cloud flight ban and all connections were faultless; from booking my ticket to the ferry trip and buses home to the south coast. I would still be in Belfast now waiting for my flight so thank you all for your efforts. L.J Hill, Bournemouth Translink employees make travel easier I want to say how brilliant your employees are. I took my mum, who is in a wheelchair, to Lisburn and used the Metro 4A from Dundonald and the Bangor-Portadown NIR service. Your staff could not have been more helpful, my mum was first onto the train and when we arrived the wheelchair ramp was waiting. The bus drivers also helped with ramps and made sure my mum left the bus safely. My mum was nervous about using bus and rail services due to her condition but the help of your excellent staff has ensured that she will be using them again. M Ellis, Dundonald Robert Thompson, Depot Engineer, Ulsterbus Omagh 1. How long have you worked for Ulsterbus? It s been 35 years; I started as an apprentice fitter at Enniskillen in 1975 then moved to Omagh as a fitter in 1978 and I ve been in my current job as Depot Engineer from What is your area of responsibility and what does your role involve? I am responsible for planning and organising the maintenance of the bus fleet at Omagh depot to levels that meet all legal requirements. I look after the maintenance of our buses which involves three key areas: Liaising with the traffic department to meet their fleet requirements; Managing staff and resources to meet Health & Safety standards; Keeping bus and personnel records up to date. I maintain stock levels in our stores, brief the engineering staff with the information they need to carry out their work and meet the company s policies and procedures. I ensure that the necessary equipment inspections are carried out and Health & Safety checks are completed. All our records are maintained to ISO standard. I also look after staff wages on Voyager. 3. Describe your typical working day? I start work at 8.00am, check the vehicle Daily Defects log and arrange for defected vehicles to be withdrawn from service for repair. I then organise staff to carry out repairs to defected vehicles, and also routine maintenance. Each day, I check mail and s, replying where necessary, and briefing garage staff on anything they should know about. I check and sign off the Monthly Inspection sheets, Wheel Torque log, Use of Vehicle log, Work Pending log, Vehicle History sheets and the Daily Defect sheet. I also check and ensure that all our records are kept up-to-date. 4. Day to day, which staff do you have contact with? All garage staff, Inspectors, the Service Delivery Manager, stores personnel, suppliers and people making deliveries to the workshop. 5. What qualifications or skills are particularly helpful to you in your job? I have found all the training and qualifications I ve gained down the years to be helpful in my job - even thinking back to my apprenticeship when I completed City & Guilds and Technicians training and learned the basics for my trade. More recently, I have completed courses in supervisory management, for example, NEBSM, and again these have been helpful in my job as depot engineer. 6. Does your job require specialist ongoing training? To keep up-to-date in my area I require ongoing professional training in IT and diagnostics on new vehicles. 7. What aspects of your job are most satisfying? I enjoy seeing problems solved. There is a lot of new technology built into modern vehicles and watching staff get to grips with it is pleasing. Getting the job done well is also rewarding. 8. What do you find most challenging about your job? The most challenging thing is just to keep pace with change. We live in the electronic age and everything moves on so quickly. We never get ahead of the game but if we just hang in there, we re doing well! 9. What do you like to do in your free time? In my spare time I m involved with my local church.

4 06 EXPRESSLINES Keeping you connected EXPRESSLINES 07 New Translink Marketing Campaign Let s go together By now you will have hopefully seen our new advertising and marketing campaign Let s go together. This new campaign was developed in response to research which found that while overall the Translink brand was well liked, there was scope to highlight the softer aspects of the brand. Let s go together is about enhancing the positive image we already have but also about showing the more emotional aspects of the Translink brand such as caring, nurturing and enabling; showing how we look after our passengers, care about the environment and simply how we help people to travel. The innovative new advertisement uses coloured dominoes to symbolise our integrated bus and rail networks and shows how we touch the lives of all kinds of people, helping them to get to where they need to be. The TV advert was shot in a studio in Belfast using real people who live and work in Northern Ireland; together with some of the latest computer generated action and green screen techniques. If you want to see some of the action from behind the scenes you can visit our website and view images taken on the day: asp Speaking about the new campaign, Norman Maynes, Head of Business Development explains: The aim of the TV advert and the Let s go together campaign is to raise awareness of the Translink brand and its relationship with the key service brands. There are huge business benefits to be derived from investing in the Translink brand in terms of helping to retain our current customers and attracting new passengers, especially in the current economic climate. The Let s go together concept shows how we can touch the lives of thousands of people every day simply by bringing family, friends and colleagues together to visit new places or just helping them to get to where they need to be; but we also want it to relate to you our employees in terms of going forward together. We hope that you will be part of this campaign to help drive and support it Together we are Translink Let s go together! The campaign ran throughout June and we plan to re-run it again in the autumn. So if you didn t get an opportunity to see it this time around you ll have another opportunity to catch it again.

5 News 08 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 09 Norman Maynes, Head of Business Development, Translink has been elected to serve as President of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce. The Chamber works on behalf of the Belfast city centre business community to ensure that the views and opinions of its members are expressed at every opportunity to a wide range of stakeholders including the media, elected representatives and the wider community. Members of the Chamber are made up from various industries including, retail, business and leisure sectors and together they form a network, which assists with the continued growth and prosperity of the city. John Moore out going President gave a strong endorsement to Norman on his appointment, As I hand the Presidency of Chamber on, I do so with a deep and genuine confidence in my successor, Mr Norman Maynes of Translink, who I know will lead Chamber from strength to strength. Norman has earned his stripes in this great city, delivering for residents and visitors accessing the city, delivering for businesses that depend on those residents and visitors into the city and delivering for Belfast Chamber over many years. This is a great opportunity and we wish Norman well on his appointment. Safety highlighted at the Balmoral Show Celebrating Twenty Years In Service The Translink Programme An exciting new group-wide programme is being developed that will ensure our business is best prepared to meet and deliver to the needs of the future. It is known simply as The Translink Programme. Richard Knox, previously Head of Rail Operations, has taken on responsibility for developing the programme and driving forward delivery of its related projects. On 5 April 2010, he took up the post of Programme Business Leader. The programme will be one of continuous business improvement, Richard explains. It is not a training programme, although training will probably be part of it. Through the programme, we will review all aspects of the way we currently do business to identify areas were we can improve on our already high standards. We want to positively influence the culture of our organisation and align our practices to make sure that every task each of us does makes a clear contribution towards achieving our Vision of delivering integrated travel solutions that are attractive, sustainable and good value. Chief Operating Officer, Philip O Neill, is the Translink Programme s sponsor. Currently in its early stages, Richard Knox s first task is to set up a Programme Steering Group. It will include people from all divisions across the group. Richard explains that the initiative s overall strategy is to develop quickly a structured programme of activities aimed at driving business performance improvements and delivering outputs and benefits that build upon our already strong people and organisational capability. Four separate key project areas will be part of the programme: Leadership and Change Performance Management Employee Engagement and Internal Communications Learning and Development. The first phase of The Translink Programme will involve colleagues from management or professional and technical levels. We want to develop a more flexible approach to how we conduct our business, Richard commented. In addition to reviewing our own current practice, those involved in the programme will visit other organisations across Northern Ireland to look for examples of best practice that we can possibly learn from. It is essential that as a business we strive to make continuous improvements. The new Programme will be launched in the autumn; look out for information on the intranet and staff notice boards. Keith Pollock, Level Crossing Risk Coordinator, attended this year s Balmoral Show to highlight the importance of user worked crossing safety on and around the farm. Safety is a top priority for Translink, we provide information to crossing users on how to use crossings safely and how to make arrangements to have a crossing repaired or closed. Translink also encouraged visitors to the show to take advantage of bus and rail services for a 3 saving on the price of tickets on the Wednesday of the event. Passengers could also enjoy a third off train fares after 9.30am and those over 60 could travel free of charge with a Senior Smartpass or 60+ Smartpass. PICTUrED: Keith Pollock (left) talking to the Mulholland family from Ballymena. Translink s flagship 212 Derry Belfast Goldline Express Coach Service marked the major milestone of 20 years in operation with special celebrations for passengers and employees. Speaking during the celebrations, Alan Young, Service Delivery Manager, Londonderry, said: I am delighted so many past and present employees and passengers could join us today; the success of the 212 owes to your continued support and I would like to thank my colleagues for delivering the service and our passengers for travelling with us over the past 20 years. The sustained increase in passenger numbers shows that we are getting it right for our customers and we are committed to building on this success through continued investment and service quality.

6 Straight Talking 10 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 11 Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Managing Safely From Merci to PC PayPoint top-up service launched take an exam and also submit a risk assessment associated with their sphere of responsibility. Both the exam and the practical are marked by an external examiner approved by IOSH. IOSH also validate the examiners marking. The risk assessment is a live document and used by managers to further improve safety. Translink in conjunction with Total Safety Management is accredited to deliver the Institute of Occupational Safety Management (IOSH) Managing Safely course. The course is a nationally recognised safety management qualification which promotes high standards of accident, ill health and environmental impact prevention in all employment sectors. The course takes place in-house and is delivered by Stephen Humphrey, Corporate Health & Safety Advisor. This course is complimented by the internal 3 Day Safety Representatives HSE course. 1. Why is it important for Translink staff to manage safely? Safety is about understanding and managing the risks associated with our work. It involves staff, customers and the general public. Good standards of safety are rarely acknowledged, but poor standards can give rise to a wide range of consequences. On the human side there might be injury, sometimes death and certainly an increase in anxiety and stress for both those directly (staff) and indirectly (families and friends) involved. On the business side there is potentially damage to our reputation, threats to our business and associated job security, unnecessary costs and possibly prosecutions or other legal actions. Thinking about safety and more importantly behaving safely at all levels avoids accidents. 2. What is covered on the course? As the course takes place in-house the contents are tailored to meet our specific needs. The course is quite intensive and subjects covered include:- Introducing managing safely (understanding risk). Assessing risks. Controlling risks. Understating your responsibilities. Investigating accidents and incidents. Measuring performance. Protecting the environment. 3. Who is the course for? The course is for staff that have either direct or indirect responsibility for other staff. This includes managers, professional technical staff, supervisors and inspectors. The course is provided as part of a 4 year manager/supervision HSE development program. 4. What is involved to achieve the qualification? At the end of the 3 days managers and supervisors 5. Why should Managers/Supervisors attend? The law places additional responsibility and accountability on managers for the safety of employees and people who come into contact with work processes. This course ensures that those groups of people have an adequate understanding of their responsibility and the tools necessary to be able to do their job. More importantly Translink believes that it is the right thing to do. 6. How is the program progressing? We are now more than half way through the program with 220 people in receipt of their certificate. We have achieved a first time pass rate of 94%, with an overall pass rate of 100%. The formal and informal feed back from those attending has been very positive and there is increasing evidence that the training is being put to good practical use. The latter being the most important aspect of the program. 7. Supporting initiatives The IOSH course is supported by the provision of in-house training for current and newly appointed trade union safety representatives. The training, which is bespoke to Translink, supplements the basic training provided by the trade unions. The course is highly practical with delegates given the opportunity to practice risk assessment, inspections and accident investigations in different scenarios. Feedback from this series of courses has again been very positive. We will shortly be starting a continual development program for those that have attended the 3 day courses. South Eastern Regional College (SERC) has joined forces with the TSSA Union Learning Project to equip Translink staff with language skills to help them communicate better with the increasing number of tourists. French and Spanish classes have commenced and have proved so popular that IT courses have been now been added to the training schedule. Mark Wilkinson, TSSA s Learning Organiser states Investing in the up-skilling and education of people within the workforce is acknowledged by most employers as a major factor in the success of a business. Workforce development is an ongoing process, and one which can only benefit both employee and employer. PICTUrED: (l-r) Mark Wilkinson, TSSA learning Organiser, with Translink employees Ciara Sheppard and Gerry Kennedy. Translink NIRailways commitment to safety Translink NIRailways is committed to improving safety and reducing risk and for this reason are in the process of developing and introducing new Professional Policies for its Operational staff and Supervisors. The policies form part of an overall strategy that sets out how NIRailways Operations propose to further improve its safety performance. The key objective of the policies is to further develop staff professionalism, competence and their understanding of human factors through the promotion of the five key areas of professionalism: Translink and retail network provider PayPoint have launched a new customer service that enables Translink smartcard customers to top-up both Smartlink and ilink travel cards at over 900 PayPoint Agents across Northern Ireland. William McGookin, Ticketing Systems Manager, said: With Translink s smartcard product range the emphasis has always been on customer convenience and value for money. Smartlink and ilink cards not only offer great value for money but they also help to speed up bus boarding times making overall journey times faster for everyone. Eye-catching point of sale material has been displayed at over 900 PayPoint agents across Northern Ireland, promoting top-up for Translink smartcards. PICTUrED: (l-r) Passenger Nikki Wilkinson is shown the new top-up facility by Ticketing Systems Manager, William McGookin, and PayPoint s John Lavery. Acting professionally Minimising the risk of error Safe working Managing lifestyle and fatigue Maintaining a professional working environment To date Drivers and Signallers have been briefed on their draft new policies to give them an opportunity to provide feedback before finalisation. We will keep you up to date on how the campaign progresses.

7 Awards 12 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 13 Awards have continued to roll in for Translink during congratulations to everyone involved. Action Renewables Association Awards Climate Change Award Translink has won a top accolade for the innovative and sustainable action we have taken towards reducing our own carbon footprint. Awarded by Business in the Community, these awards are Northern Ireland s most influential and well respected corporate responsibility awards. PICTURED: (l-r) Philip Reid, Energy Engineer; Paul Slaney, Engineering Technical Manager, and David Lowry, Technical Engineer. Translink Scoop Platinum and Gold Awards from TIDY NI Downpatrick Buscentre and Jordanstown Railway Station have been presented with Platinum TIDY Translink Awards by TIDY Northern Ireland for achieving a 100% mark Brochure of the Year Award At the annual Coach Tourism Awards Ulsterbus Tours were proud winners of the Brochure of the Year award for their new-look Summer 2010 brochure. The judges commented that the combination of first class design, easy to read layout, and clearly laid out information made it a very worthy winner. in the Awards assessment. The awards support Translink employees in developing a culture of continuous environmental improvement and aim to enhance the journey experiences of passengers through the visual appearance, environmental performance and quality of local facilities. This year s awards attracted the highest level of entries to date with 38 stations taking part with 10 more stations across Northern Ireland being awarded Gold status. PICTURED: (l-r) Greg McKernan, Translink Ulsterbus Inspector for Downpatrick, Dr Ian Humphries, TIDY NI, Gary Mawhinney, Service Delivery Manager for Downpatrick and Catherine Mason, Group Chief Executive. IRSE Licenses Awarded Brian Weighman is now one of Translink s 25 Signalling personnel holding the internationally recognised Institution of Railway Signal Engineers (IRSE) license. He was recently presented with his IRSE License for Combined Signalling Maintainer and Fault Finder. Translink s assessing team have also been recognised as Associate Members of IRSE. PICTURED: (l-r) Philip Wiltshire, IRSE; Jim Coughtrie, IRSE; Brian Weighman, IRSE License Holder; Darren Donaldson and Colin McVea, Translink s IRSE Competency Assessors; and Huw Bates, Translink s IRSE Workplace Assessor. Placement Employer of the Year Translink were recently presented with a Placement Employer of the Year Award, Staff Nomination Category, at the University of Ulster s annual award ceremony. Nominated by one of the University s academics the award reflects our continued commitment to the placement experience, which forms a central part of the student s degree. PICTURED: (l-r) Prof Richard Millar, University of Ulster; Maura Gallagher, Brand Coordinator; Lynda Shannon, Communications Manager; and the BBC s Donna Traynor. Newry Rail Station The design and architecture of Newry Rail Station was recognised at two recent awards ceremonies: RSUA (Royal Society of Ulster Architects) Design Awards 2010: Award Buildings over 3 million category. RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Northern Ireland Awards 2010: Commended Community Benefit category. Translink was recently presented with an award for Delivering Sustainability in Business. The awards recognise and reward businesses who are leading the way in identifying the importance of renewable energy and sustainability as well as embracing renewable technologies within the green industry in Northern Ireland. PICTURED: (l-r) Collette O'Neill, Action Renewables Green Goddess, Philip Lowry, Technical Engineer, Susan Kinane, ESB IE, and Michael Doran Director at Action Renewables Belfast Business Awards PICTURED: (l-r) Andy Bate, Environment Officer, Philip Reid, Energy Engineer, Lynda Shannon, Communications Manager and David Lowry, Technical Engineer pictured at Belfast Central Station with Translink s Belfast Business Award Highly Commended certificates for Best Green Business and Corporate Social Responsibility.

8 14 EXPRESSLINES News This time its personal EXPRESSLINES 15 MBE for Catherine Burns Congratulations to Cathy Burns, Head of Corporate Services with the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company (NITHC), who was awarded an MBE last summer for services to public transport and to the community in Northern Ireland. Last November, Cathy made the trip of a lifetime to Buckingham Palace to receive the MBE from Her Majesty the Queen. She was accompanied by her proud husband Sinclair and son, Timothy. Commenting on the experience, Cathy said: It was one of the best days of my life and I am very proud of the award. We had a wonderful weekend in London. I was spoiled rotten by my family who, among other treats, arranged for us to have lunch in Claridge s Hotel in Mayfair and ensured that the celebrations didn t end on that day. Cathy s career in public transport began in 1991 when she joined the Holding Company as PA to the then Chair, Sir Myles Humphreys. Prior to that she had worked in Gilbey s and later at Cantrell and Cochrane. Ten years ago, Cathy took up the position of Corporate Services Manager, and in 2006, she became Head of Corporate Services. Cathy has been a constant and valuable member of the NITHC management team. She plays a key role in ensuring the smooth running of the Board s business. When Expresslines contacted Cathy, she reflected: It s true that I have seen a lot of change at NITHC over the years. I have worked with four different Chairmen, three Chief Executives and four changes of Board Directors. She added: I have witnessed many new initiatives and changes affecting public transport over the years and every day in my job brings fresh challenges! Now assisted by a small team, Cathy s responsibilties include managing the work of the Board and its sub committees, overseeing the smooth running of the Commercial & Services Director and Group Chair s Offices, managing the group s public car parks, and also overseeing the compliance, group-wide, with Equality and Section 75 legislation. During her early years with the group, Cathy studied part-time, in her own time, for a Psychology degree and for a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development qualification. Over the years Cathy has also been involved in many company fundraising initiatives, in particular working with Daivd Laird to raise substantial funds for the Children s Hospice as it was being built. Outside work, Cathy has also been a long time volunteer with the Samaritans. For a period of three years she was the charity s Recruitment Director, before taking on responsibilty for Chairing the charity s Strategic Fundraising Committee. To relax, Cathy confesses to a passion for travel. I love to travel to see new places around the world. She also enjoys walking, gardening and playing bridge. Group Chairman, Veronica Palmer OBE, paid tribute to Cathy Burns when the MBE announcement was made, saying the award was a just recognition for the significant contribution Cathy has made to public transport and to the community through her charity work. Paul Flannagan CHAIRMAN of St GALLS GAA Paul Flannagan, who works as an Electrician and Night Shift Chargehand in the Falls Road Metro Depot, has been involved most of his life with the Cumann Naomh Gall, County Antrim GAA club in west Belfast. Now Chairman of the large club, he tells Expresslines about the Club s historic successes on the pitch this year and about the many activities taking place to celebrate their 100th year. Tell us about your involvement with the Club? I became involved with the Club aged 14, playing football. I dropped out for a few years, but when my own three children were young I got them interested in playing for the Club and got myself into coaching the Juveniles. Over the years, my sons Paul and Patrick enjoyed some team successes and I have coached a few winning sides. Later, I joined the Club s Management Committee, first as the Juvenile Representative, then as the Juvenile Committee s Vice-Chair and three years ago I was elected Club Chairman. What does the Club offer? We see ourselves as part of the community. A very active Club, we have almost 700 members. We have two good playing fields and changing facilities, a large restaurant and a function room. We have 27 different teams in football, hurling and handball, from very young Juveniles up to Seniors. The social side is also a very important part of the Club; we have a successful choir, the St Agnes Choral; a number of other musical groups and a range of other community activites. How is the Club run and what are your duties as Chairman? All activites are organised and run by the Club s voluntary committee members. Volunteering is an important part of the GAA. But, we make sure that all our Juvenile Coaches and Mentors have their Access NI certificates for child protection and are trained First Aiders. As Chair, the Secretary and I have legal responsibility for Club operations. For example, applying annually for the Entertainments Licence, for meeting Health and Safety and Fire legislation, and getting insurance cover. It s been a historic year for Club team wins, tell us about these? 17 March was one of the best days in the Club s history, both our senior football and senior hurling teams got through to the All-Ireland Club Finals in Croke Park, Dublin. A brave few of us travelled from Belfast and we cheered ourselves hoarse when we won the AIB All-Ireland Club Football title, comfortably beating Kilmurry-Ibrickine. Our Senior Hurling team also played well and took the runner-up place. It took us exactly 100 years to get to this level of success, I only hope it won t take another 100 to get there again! Now 100 years old, how is St Galls celebrating its centenary? We have a full programme of activities taking place throughout the year. These include a big reunion event for all past and present members; a celebration mass in Clonard (the Club originated in St Galls School run by the Clonard De La Salle Order); a Frances Black concert; an awards ceremony and dinner in the Whitla Hall; and a special Centenary Dinner at the Europa Hotel. We also have a commemorative book on Club history coming out soon. Community events include the Wall of Memories where we invite people to come in and pin up a picture or account of their special Club event memory. What does the Club mean to you? As Chairman I see myself as a caretaker for the Club. Down the years, earlier committees and Chairs put in the effort for me and others. It s only right now that I put in the effort for the young people who will follow through after me. I grew up in the Club. It helped keep me on the straight and narrow during the dark days of the Troubles. The same for my children. It s an honour to be Chair especially in this Centenary year.

9 News 16 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 17 Safety is top priority Translink NIRailways major incident media event In a bid to raise awareness of safety at level crossings, a major incident was staged at a disused crossing in Antrim involving the collision of a car and a train. Ian Campbell, Head of Operations, explained Safety is our top priority and as such we want to ensure all our passengers, the general public and employees stay safe. Many people continue to take chances at railway crossings both as motorists and as pedestrians, placing themselves and others including people on the train, at risk. Today s event is to demonstrate that safety measures are at level crossings for a reason. We have a zero tolerance approach to this kind of behaviour and prosecute where we can. We are working with the wider community to reinforce the key safety issues in order to ensure everyone stays safe and never takes risks or trespasses on or near the railway lines Translink have reinforced that CCTV used at crossings serves as a powerful deterrent to help prevent level crossing abuse. When incidents do occur, footage can be used to investigate, apprehend and prosecute offenders where possible. Fire Service s Area Commander, Brian McClintock, said: We work in partnership with others including Translink NIRailways to ensure the safety and well-being of our community. All too often Firefighters witness first hand the carnage on our roads and the lives completely destroyed, we all have a responsibility to make our roads safer and our message to road users is cut it out before we cut you out This is all part of a wider campaign in which Translink have worked with the PSNI, schools, Rail Safety Competition Translink have short-listed Ulidia Integrated College, Markethill High School and Belfast Royal Academy in a rail safety competition in conjunction with Wheelworks, a youth arts organisation that supports the artistic, social and cultural development of young people. Safety is our top priority and this has been a great way to get young people to think about rail safety, as part of our ongoing campaign to promote responsible behaviour on and around public transport. Making a short safety movie gives young people a useful platform to communicate important safety messages to their friends. The three short listed schools will have their completed films posted on Translink s website to allow the public to vote for their favourite. The winning team will be announced and awarded travel prizes in September. PICTUrED: Year 8 pupil Matthew Stubberfield from Aghalee with Lucy McCullagh, Manager at Wheelworks. community groups, the agricultural community and the wider public in order to drive home this important safety message. We will also be launching a new advertising campaign during the summer to encourage the general public to stay safe. PICTUrED: (l-r) Representatives from Translink and the Fire Service at the major incident media event in Antrim. Pension Scheme Information Would you like more pension or tax-free cash when you retire? Employees who are in membership of the Pension Scheme can improve their retirement benefits by paying extra contributions. Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) can give you more pension, tax-free cash or both when you retire, and you can also benefit from tax relief; even if you are relatively close to retirement. A change to rules means that you can now use the money you build up by paying AVCs for tax-free cash when you retire, not just extra pension. In fact you could take up to 100%* of your AVCs as a tax-free cash lump sum when you retire (only Local Government Pension Scheme members can do this in the Public Sector). Tax relief If you are a taxpayer, you ll get tax relief on your AVC contributions, which means your contributions are taken out of your pay before your tax is worked out. Tax relief can help pay for your retirement, for example: If you pay basic-rate income tax, an extra 100 in AVCs only costs you 80 If you re a higher-rate taxpayer, an extra 100 in AVCs only costs you 60 Flexibility You can contribute up to 50%* of what you earn as AVCs, and stop and start, or change how much you pay whenever you like. You can also increase your retirement pension by paying Additional Regular Contributions (ARCs) please contact NILGOSC if you are interested in this option. Going, Going, Green Find out more Contact Prudential (you are under no obligation to proceed): To register your interest in a meeting with Tim McEwan, a Prudential retirement education consultant, timcp.mcewan@prudential.co.uk with your daytime phone number and work location. If you would like to discuss your options by phone Tim can be contacted on: Prudential can t give you advice but will give you information to reach an informed decision. It s never too late to make a difference to your retirement. So get in touch with them today and see how they can help you achieve the retirement you would like. Please note The above is based on Prudential s current understanding of taxation rules which may change. The tax impact will depend on your individual circumstances. As this is an investment based product the value of your investment can go down as well as up except in the case of the Deposit Fund that keeps your capital safe, any interest added is guaranteed and your total investment cannot fall in value. When you contact Prudential you will be provided with further details about your investment options. When you retire, pension income will be taxed as earned income. *Depends on certain limits set by HM Revenue and Customs. From May Translink and Garden Show Ireland encouraged visitors to the Hillsborough Garden Festival to go green and take advantage of the room onboard bus and rail services to transport their festival purchases. Translink also ran a free shuttle bus service to and from the festival car parks for easy and convenient access to the event. Speaking at the festival Lynda Shannon, Communications Manager said: From plants and shrubs to flowers, crafts and gardening equipment, we are encouraging festival-goers to take advantage of our services to and from Hillsborough and bring their purchases onboard. As an added bonus, Translink passengers could also enjoy 1 off the cost of their entrance ticket on the Friday of the event with a valid Translink ticket, making it even more worthwhile to go green to the festival. PICTUrED: Summer Behan, seven, and Tara Morrison, four, at this year s Hillsborough Garden Festival.

10 18 EXPRESSLINES Promotions Nature Notes EXPRESSLINES 19 Translink Summer Tourism Campaign Airport Summer Services Events & Concerts Translink has been working in partnership with concert and event organisers to promote rail and bus services to key events: Snow Patrol, Pink concert, Balmoral Show, North West 200 and GAA matches. Available to book and buy online, they ve been a great success and the perfect answer for those wanting to avoid the hassle of taking the car. Promotion for the concert services included posters, e-flyers, Translink and promoters websites, Twitter and Facebook, competitions, and PR. New Trains Two Update Biodiversity very simply is the variety of life on the planet One of the World s Great Railway Journeys A new campaign entitled Happy Days will promote special offers on bus and rail services throughout July and August. Advertising will include outdoor, bus, radio and press as well as posters and presence on the Translink website, Twitter and Facebook. Leaflets and PR activity will highlight reasons to travel and places to visit. Translink staff can also avail of offers at attractions around Northern Ireland including some Hidden Treasures by presenting their Translink pass. Metro Fridays The popular Metro Fridays campaign ran from April to June, promoting the theme of Metro Friends and the fun of travelling together; including restaurant, coffee, drinks, cinema, gym and pampering offers. A full page article ran in the Belfast Telegraph every Friday profiling groups of friends enjoying Metro travel and offers. There were prize give-aways every Friday including the Sex and the City 2 premier and pre-show party. A new summer campaign has been launched encouraging people to take the bus to the airport and save on the cost of parking. Outdoor and radio advertising will promote the 24 hour service to Belfast International and regular service to Belfast City Airport. A new family return fare of 25 (2 adults and up to 2 children) is available throughout July and August on Airport Express 300 service to Belfast International Airport. Why not encourage your friends and family to take the bus to the airport this summer. Enterprise Summer Campaign An advertising campaign during the summer months will promote the great web fare offers on day return and single fares and also the special offers at Dublin attractions and cafes for Enterprise passengers. Monthly fares are also now available online and the option to upgrade to 1st Plus at weekends. As described by Michael Palin, a new leaflet will promote the great railway journey between Derry and Coleraine; also highlighting bus connections to The Causeway Coast from Coleraine. Local councils and tourism bodies are supporting the initiative and will help to promote the rail journey and bus connections. Production of Translink NIRailways new Class 4000 trains is now underway in Spain. Spanish Rail Manufacturer CAF will build all 20 of the new trains due to start arriving in Northern Ireland next year and entering service by Representing an investment by the Department for Regional Development of 105 million, they will replace 13 older models and will operate alongside an existing fleet of 23 Class 3000 trains. Speaking about progress to date, Catherine Mason, Group Chief Executive, said: This is an exciting period in the overall project which is continuing to progress on schedule. After 12 months of planning, production is now underway and we expect to complete the first train car body shell this summer. We are also incorporating public preferences into the new design following our consultation carried out with customers and other stakeholders; and have been able to build on the experience gained from our current Class 3000 trains. We are working closely with CAF on all levels of the manufacturing process and our engineers are making regular visits to inspect work and monitor progress. A series of infrastructure developments are also required to prepare for the arrival of the new fleet, including: the construction of a new purpose-built train maintenance facility; station platform extensions due to start this Autumn to facilitate longer six-car trains and further network upgrades to improve frequency and service patterns. Young people take a walk on the wild side. Translink has joined forces with the Ulster Wildlife Trust and Scoutlink s i-citizen project to develop young people s awareness of local environmental issues. At a special environmental event at the Northern Ireland Scout Centre, Crawfordsburn, young people from Ardcarn Youth Club were given the opportunity to build bat boxes, go on nature trails and enjoy a wildlife presentation from the Ulster Wildlife Trust. Speaking at the event, Andy Bate, Environmental Officer, said: An important part of our Environmental Strategy and Biodiversity Action Plan is to educate people on the importance of respecting and looking after the bus and train network which provides habitats for a wide range of species. We are pleased to support this youth initiative and hope this opportunity to engage with local wildlife will lay important foundations for a more sustainable lifestyle. Ciaran Mullan, Nature Conservation Manager, Ulster Wildlife Trust, commented: The Ulster Wildlife Trust has built up a very successful partnership with Translink over recent years. We were delighted to be involved in the delivery of this event, improving the environmental education of young people and raising awareness and understanding of the importance of biodiversity. Events such as this are particularly fitting at present as people from around the globe unite to celebrate 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity. PICTUrED: (l-r) Margaret Coates, Ardcarn Youth Club; Pete Sloan, Scoutlink; Daryl Ayre, Ardcarn Youth Club; Adrian Woodley, Ulster Wildlife Trust; and Andy Bate, Translink Environmental Officer.

11 Its all in the name of charity 20 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 21 Charity of the Year Update Over the last few months we have received numerous suggestions from our employees and we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your input. Nominations will now be shortlisted by representatives from the Translink Community Partnership Board, RailRoad and Belfast Bus Drivers Appeal Committees together with the Marketing Department. Short listed charities will then be asked to make short presentations as to why their charity should be selected and what they can contribute to the sponsorship. The selected Charity of the Year will then be announced in the autumn. Easter Raffle Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children (NICFC) PICTUrED: School children from Ballymoney were onboard for the NICFC Fun Day thanks to continued support from Translink. Over 550 primary school pupils and their teachers joined in the charity s annual Fun Day and Sponsored Walk in June. Billy Telford Charity Memorial Day 2010 The Hilton Templepatrick was the setting for Billy Telford s Memorial Golf tournament on Saturday 17 April. Over one hundred golfers teed off and everyone taking part had a great day. The sponsored walk saw 25 walkers set off from Central Station to the Lock Keepers Cottage on the Lagan, with special recognition to Jim Brown from Londonderry who raised an amazing 350. Golfers and walkers returned to the Hilton for the evening dinner where over 160 people joined in the festivities. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the day. We hope to hit the 12,000 mark for the chosen charities: Foyle Hospice and Cancer Research, with every penny donated going straight to the charities. We are already looking forward to next years event and in addition to golf we d like some new ideas and also suggestions for a venue, please contact: heather.grant@ translink.co.uk Marathon Success Congratulations to all the Translink Employees who took part in this year s Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon, and also did their bit for their charities of choice. Entries are now being accepted for the 2011 Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon. Click to find out more or register. PICTUrED: One of the successful Translink teams were employees from the Infrastructure Division: Brendan Harkin, Simon Webber, Andrew McGivern, Tony Knipe and Jim Moore. Leana Warner, Clive Bradberry and Maggie Glass competed in the team relay, fundraising for Translink s staff charity, RailRoad. Student Design Competition Students, completing the Interactive Multi-Media Design (IMD) degree at University of Ulster Jordanstown, were recently provided with a live Translink design brief and asked to create fun and vibrant artwork that would increase awareness amongst young people about the benefits of the Translink Student Discount card. Presenting the winners and runners-up with Translink ilink travel card vouchers for free travel across Northern Ireland, Clare Costello, Marketing Production Manager, said: The judges were impressed by the imaginative and innovative quality of the artwork; I would like to congratulate all competition participants on their submissions and hope they gained a valuable insight into the work of a designer. PICTUrED: Clare Costello, Marketing Production Manager, (centre) with Paschal O Sullivan, Graphic Designer (left) and Peter Nicholl, Course Director, UUJ (right) with the winners and runners-up of the Translink poster design competition. Steam Driver and Fireman training PICTUrED: An Easter Raffle organised by the Contact Centre raised 155 for Oakwood Special Care School. (l-r) Marian Ferguson, Michael Hughes (raffle winner) and Brenda Marron (raffle organiser). Two agents, Marian Ferguson and Donna Morrison, also organised the donation of Easter eggs to the children at Forest Lodge. RNLI Raft Race PICTUrED: For the past 3 years Huw Bates and members of the Infrastructure SQE Team have taken part in the Portrush Raft Race. To date Huw has raised approximately 1500 for the RNLI. Infrastructure SQE Team Members: Starboard side forward to rear Keith Pollock, Jana Rabikova, Huw Bates. Port side forward to rear Stevie Lavery, Laura McClelland and Scotty Moore. Translink NIRailways Drivers Assessors Michael Hamill and Stephen Faulkner visited North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) in May to undertake specialist Steam Driver and Fireman training. The training was facilitated by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland to assist with future steam train operations on NIRailways network. PiCTUrED: NIRailways Driver Assessors Michael Hamill and Stephen Faulkner. Back row: NYMR Driver Chris Cubit, RPSI Project organiser Johnny Glendinning, WCR Driver Assessor Ron Smith, NYMR Traction & Rolling Stock Engineer Phil Crawshaw, General Manager NYMR Philip Benham.

12 22 EXPRESSLINES Family Life EXPRESSLINES 23 Investment in 48 new rural buses Eco Schools Travel Challenge Wedding New Birth Translink Ulsterbus has signed a contract with local manufacturer Wrightbus for 48 new Solar Rural vehicles. Funded by the Department for Regional Development, this new contract announcement follows the recent completed delivery of 61 high capacity Ulsterbus vehicles. Group Chief Executive, Catherine Mason, said: Continued investment combined with good value ticket solutions and integrated services are crucial to attracting more people onboard public transport. This important funding will help more people in rural areas get out and about in the community. PICTUrED: (l-r) Dr William Wright OBE, Wright Group Proprietor, Transport Minister, Conor Murphy, MP, MLA and Catherine Mason, Group Chief Executive. Working in partnership Translink has teamed up with the international Eco-Schools awards scheme to launch a new project that encourages local schools to use more sustainable forms of transport. The Translink Eco Schools Travel Challenge aims to raise awareness on the impact of transport on the environment and will help participants meet Eco-Schools assessment criteria to achieve Green Flag status. Speaking at the launch, Lynda Shannon, Communications Manager, said: We believe it is important to educate young people on the benefits of both bus and train and other sustainable travel options. PICTUrED: Chief Operating Officer, Philip O Neill, and Eco-Schools Project Officer, Naomi Foss, with primary school pupils crossing the finish line of the Translink Eco-Schools Travel Challenge. Maura Gallagher Congratulations to Maura Gallagher, Brand Coordinator, and her husband Padraic Sloan who were married 27 May. Retirement John Morrison John Morrison a Mechanical Fitter from Pennyburn Garage in Derry retired in February due to ill health after 33 years of service. His colleagues held a presentation for him at the garage to wish him well for the future. Milo McConville Congratulations to Chris McConville Property Maintenance Manager, and his wife Claire on the birth of Milo who arrived 5 February weighing 5lb 2oz. Milo is a little brother for Beth. Obituary Translink are closely involved in the Belfast City Centre Beat Initiative which was launched in June 2005 by Belfast City Centre Management in conjunction with Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce and the PSNI to tackle issues in Belfast City Centre. A team of dedicated police officers provide a presence in the city centre and respond to issues including anti-social behaviour, traffic management and the concerns of the business community. The partnership has proved to be very beneficial for Translink as it provides a dedicated response to City Centre traffic related issues from the PSNI Officers involved and also is part of a coordinated effort between Translink, PSNI and the DRD Parking Enforcement Unit to improve traffic flow. Typically the City Centre Beat Officers deal with in excess of 200 referrals per quarter from Translink. Billy Gilpin, Belfast Area Manager commented: This effective collaboration has enabled us to improve our passengers journey experience as our buses can operate within the city centre vicinity with little interruption or obstruction. The partnership is of particular benefit to us now with the Streets Ahead project s current traffic restrictions. This initiative is funded and managed through partnership provided by Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce, Translink, Westfield (CastleCourt), Belfast City Council and the PSNI and provides an additional resource to the existing service provided by the PSNI in Belfast City Centre. 40 Years of Service Alexander Donaghy Catherine Mason, Group Chief Executive, presented a 40 year service award to Alexander Donaghy who has been a bus cleaner in Bangor Bus Station since 2 March Eilish Rooney Eilish Rooney worked in the Contact centre for 9 years and sadly passed away on 1 April after a 2 year illness. Deepest sympathies are extended to her husband Gerry and their 5 children. She will be sadly missed by all her friends and colleagues at the Contact Centre.