We are family: celebrating 200 years of the railway
Adam Christopher talks to Mike and Andrew Lamport about their family history on the railway and why it’s such a great industry to work in.
It may be a well-worn cliche, but for many of my generation, if you asked a small boy what he wanted to be when he grew up ‘a train driver’ was a common response.
As a child, I wasn’t really interested in having a career. I was obsessed with sport. Then I discovered that as an actor you actually could become a first division footballer or a train driver. More often I was a bank robber or conversely a police officer, albeit only for as long as the gig lasted.
Exploring human behaviour is the basis for all ATT’s programmes. It’s why one of the favourite parts of my job is having the opportunity to talk to people from all sorts of walks of life and backgrounds for the ATT podcast. I was delighted to meet Mike and his son Andrew who, like generations of their family dating back to 1846, work in the railway industry. They spoke so enthusiastically about how much they valued their work and being part of the ‘railway family’.
ATT and the railway
ATT’s links with rail are well-established. We created the ELITE programme for the joint venture EKFB working on the HS2 project. Then, in 2023, we opened the TRUST safety leadership centre in Huddersfield commissioned by the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU).
This year marks 200 years of passenger rail services in Britain. The Railway 200 team are organising celebratory events and rail-themed activities and promoting the industry to recruit young talent. A third of people working in rail are aged over 50. According to the National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR) around 75,000 will retire or leave the industry by 2030.
The government is about to launch the new publicly owned body which will bring track and services together. I began to wonder, who is going to run this critical infrastructure in the future?
Why work in rail?
We asked some young people if they had ever considered a career in the rail industry and met with a resounding ‘no’ from the majority. When we asked ‘why’, several cited the poor public performance of rail services as a reason or, as one person styled it, ‘it’s a shambles.’ It seems the perception of the hero train driver has been replaced by a picture of chaos, inefficiency and public derision.
I visited some of our colleagues and clients in the north of England to speak to people at different stages of their rail careers. I wanted to find out what attracted them to the industry and if they would recommend joining the ‘family’.
It surprised me that, just like Mike and Andrew, many people had moved into rail because a parent, relative or family friend had recommended it as a good career. Everyone from apprentices to mid-career managers to the Programme Director of TRU, Jo Griffiths, spoke of being supported, encouraged and nurtured in their work and career.
Groundworkers and project managers alike spoke of feeling they were leaving a legacy; the bridges, the tunnels, the track and the infrastructure that would remain long after they’d gone. There was also a universal feeling of belonging to the ‘rail family’ and I had a sense that once you joined, you wouldn’t want to leave.
The UK’s rail industry contributes over £36bn a year to the UK economy with an ROI of £2.20 for every £1 spent. It is vital socio-economic infrastructure with potential to revitalise post-industrial pockets of the UK. The Victorians referred to the finished track and bed of the railway as ‘the permanent way’. Rail is certainly here to stay.
