18 Jan What’s it like being a Greater Anglia train dispatcher at a busy station?
The We Are Greater Anglia video and blog series gives you a peek behind the curtain of one of the largest train operators in the country.
It shines a light on some of its employees and showcases how they are contributing to Greater Anglia’s record-breaking punctuality.
This week, we follow Calum, who works as a Dispatcher at Shenfield station. Shenfield is a busy junction, as well as being the terminus of the Elizabeth line.
He talks us through his role, the most satisfying bits, and explains why a light baton is a crucial bit of kit.
What does your job involve?
A train dispatcher’s role is a mixture of both customer service and what we call dispatch. Dispatch is communicating to drivers and conductors that they can safely proceed by using certain signals.
This is because they may not necessarily have a full or clear view of the platform they have stopped at. We become an extra set of eyes for them. It’s a safety-critical role.
We are trained to look for specific things on the platform, primarily in what’s called the ‘dispatch corridor’ which is the area immediately around the train. We are also on the lookout for any other behaviours on the platform that could pose a safety risk.
In addition, we also assist passengers with any additional requirements and conduct security checks on our platforms.
What equipment do you need for the role?
Being a train dispatcher requires a fair bit of equipment: a radio, a badge camera, a whistle, a key, and a light baton.
We hold the light baton above the head, and it has three lights that you can show. White and green are different types of instruction to the driver to proceed, while red always means stop.
Where are you based?
I am always based at Shenfield station, but there are some colleagues who work up and down the line towards Southend Victoria as well.
You can find me and my colleagues either on the platform or in our office where we tend to be between trains. We have maps that show where the trains are, and we also complete a report if there are any causes for a delay to our Control team.
The office is also located centrally, meaning we have a good view of the platforms both for customer service and security.
What’s Shenfield station like?
Despite being in quite a small town, the station itself is very busy. It’s an interchange between the mainline between Norwich and London, the Southend line, and the Southminster branch line.
Not only that, but we also have the Elizabeth line that terminates here as well.
There can be a train up to every four minutes in the rush hours.
We get a huge variety of customers from commuters up to London in the morning to leisure customers, as well as those going to Stansted and Heathrow airports.
What is the most satisfying bit of the job?
One of the best bits of the job for me I’d say is helping customers with accessibility needs.
It brings me satisfaction to know that by doing my part, I can help the customer have an easy and successful journey.
What are some of the more challenging bits of the job?
Dealing with disruption without a doubt. During the initial moments, information can be scarce, but once you’re experienced enough in the role, you can juggle your customer service duties along with your safety critical dispatch duties.
What shifts do you have?
We work three shifts on a roster. We do a series of early shifts which are 6am – around 2pm, then lates between 2pm – 10pm and then nights between 10pm – 6am.
Want to join us or find out more?
You can sign up for job alerts and see what vacancies are open at www.greateranglia.co.uk/careers
Watch other ‘We Are Greater Anglia’ YouTube videos as they come out every two weeks!
