Author: sam.batey@gbrailfreight.com

GB Railfreight’s John Smith Recognised with Lifetime Achievement Award

Posted on by sam.batey@gbrailfreight.com

GB Railfreight’s John Smith Recognised with Lifetime Achievement Award

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight was recognised last night for his dedication and service to the rail industry at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Technology (CILT) Annual Awards for Excellence.

HRH Princess Anne presented John with the prestigious Presidents Award at the glittering ceremony surrounded by colleagues and friends.

John has worked on the railways for the past 42 years, founding GB Railfreight in 1999 and working tirelessly to grow the business. Today GBRf is the third largest rail freight business in the UK with ambitious plans to further develop their footprint in the intermodal market.

John is very deserving of this award. His experiences have afforded him a unique insight into the challenges and opportunities that rail freight faces, with the ability to compose solutions to guarantee the best possible service for GBRf’s highly valued customers.

Through strong leadership, taking the time to pass on his considerable knowledge to colleagues and generally being an approachable person, John has been an inspirational driving force and highly regarded by those working alongside him.

Sir Peter Hendy CBE, Chair of Network Rail:

“John is a great present-day railway industry leader, and this award is richly deserved. He has made GBRf what it is and made a huge contribution to the wider industry. Well done, John!”

John Smith, Managing Director GB Railfreight:

“I am absolutely thrilled to have received this award. It is an honour and privilege. I first started out on the railways at the age of 16 as a Technician Apprentice at British Rail. This was an incredible opportunity for me and set me on the right path. Now, after 42 years in the sector I’m delighted to help play a role in bringing new talent into the sector and drive forward growth in freight. I feel we are entering an important and very exciting time for the industry.”

GBRf honour long serving employees with loco naming

Posted on by sam.batey@gbrailfreight.com

On Wednesday 14 August, GB Railfreight celebrated two long-serving and highly dedicated members of staff by naming Class 66 locomotives in their honour.

The naming of ‘Maria’ and ‘Amanda’ took place during a special service from Doncaster, calling at Cleethropes for the official naming by John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight. This continues a long tradition of naming locomotives after the key women who make GBRf the successful and fast-growing company it is today.

Maria Dennison, an Assistant Train Manager in Peterborough joined GBRf in 2003, and Amanda Wilson, Business Manager, Bulk Services, started with the company in 2012. Both employees have been a considerable asset to the GBRf team and are very deserving of this accolade.

Guests of honour Maria and Amanda were presented with commemorative replicas of the engines and the name plaques that will adorn the locomotives as they move across the length and breadth of Britain.

John Smith, Managing Director of GB Railfreight said:

“Both Amanda and Maria are hugely valued members of the team and it was my pleasure to name two new locomotives after them. Our staff are the lifeblood of GB Railfreight and we are delighted to be able to recognise their contribution to our success in this way.

 “It is a longstanding GBRf tradition to name locomotives after some of our most hardworking female members of staff and apart from celebrating their hard work it is also a sign of the diverse makeup of our workforce – something we are incredibly proud of.”

 Amanda Wilson, Business Manager, Bulk Services said:

 

“Having started in the industry in 1983 on a youth training scheme, this is my 35th year of fulltime employment so the timing of this couldn’t be better or seem more appropriate.”

 “This is a huge honour, and as a lover of trains I am delighted there is now one named after me on the railways”

GB Railfreight Unveil New Brighton Pride Rainbow Locomotive

Posted on by sam.batey@gbrailfreight.com

In celebration of this year’s Brighton Pride, GB Railfreight are delighted to announce the naming of a Class 66 locomotive held on the eve (2 August) of the Pride weekend festivities at Brighton Station.

The special rainbow livered GB Railfreight locomotive – ‘Pride of GB Railfreight’ – was unveiled by Times columnist Matthew Parris and Engineering Director Bob Tiller, alongside representatives from Brighton and Hove City Council: Cllr Amanda Grimshaw, Council lead for Equalities; and Cllr Alan Robins, Chair of the Tourism, Development and Culture Committee.

GBRf is the UK’s fastest growing rail freight company, employing over 900 people across the UK. The new livered locomotive recognises LGBT+ employees across the rail industry and celebrates the businesses ongoing commitment to ensuring diversity and equality in the sector.

 

Bob Tiller, Engineering Director at GBRf said:

“We are delighted to be part of Brighton Pride this year. Our newly named rainbow loco is symbolic of the changing nature of the rail sector and how important our LGBT+ employees are. As a business, we are keen to ensure that diversity and equality shines through, and the ‘Pride of GB Railfreight’ helps us in our mission.”

 Stuart Meek, Train Services Director, Govia Thameslink Railway said:

“We are pleased to be able to work in partnership with GBRf to promote diversity in the rail sector and are thrilled to be part of the unveiling of the ‘Pride of GB Railfreight’ at Brighton station which is joining our Thameslink ‘trainbow’ out on the Brighton Main Line and beyond. It’s a real testament to the company’s commitment to showing everyone is welcome on board both freight and passenger trains.”