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Should a Station Manager be based at the station they manage?

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westv

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Just wondered after reading an article on the Hull Daily Mail website which quoted a councillor saying the Hull Paragon manager is based in Huddersfield.
 
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ComUtoR

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What if they manage a local station group ?

I'm not sure that every single station should have their own local Manager.
 

mmh

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I'm assuming a "station manager" is largely an administrative-cum-personnel job, so unless you want one everywhere...

If not though, I'll put myself forward for manager of my local station - Deganwy.
 

ComUtoR

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How local is a local station group?

Geographically or by line of route ?

Ours are done by line of route so a Manager will typically travel up and down the route. Geographically that can be quite large but in route terms it may just be 3/4 stops. Not forgetting that they will often work out of various offices around the network. This may mean working in central London or working towards the coast.

Not forgetting that there may be a case where the role is more admin based so there is no need to be based locally.
 

westv

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Huddersfield is 75 miles from Hull. Not really local. I am slightly surprised that a city terminus doesn't appear to have a resident manager.
 

mmh

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What would a resident manager at a station, even a relatively big one like Hull, do that they can't do from somewhere else or by being mobile?
 

DarloRich

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Just wondered after reading an article on the Hull Daily Mail website which quoted a councillor saying the Hull Paragon manager is based in Huddersfield.

I suspect there will be a miscommunication. I bet one person means the person with day to day responsibility for the staff while the TOC means the person who "owns" the station
 

sharpley

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From my experience of working as a contractor at various stations around London, you have a station supervisor for the day to day running on stations, and a main manager for looking after a group of stations. At Network Rail managed stations you normally book on at the station reception, along with all visitors, contractors, retail staff. They also deal with other day to day things like correct documentation of contractors, fire alarms, security etc. TOC managed stations like Marylebone and Fenchurch St contractors book on at the information desk on the main concourse, who also seem to deal with most things station-related.
 

Elecman

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From my experience of working as a contractor at various stations around London, you have a station supervisor for the day to day running on stations, and a main manager for looking after a group of stations. At Network Rail managed stations you normally book on at the station reception, along with all visitors, contractors, retail staff. They also deal with other day to day things like correct documentation of contractors, fire alarms, security etc. TOC managed stations like Marylebone and Fenchurch St contractors book on at the information desk on the main concourse, who also seem to deal with most things station-related.

Network Rail Managed station do have a Station Manager based at the station, along with Shift Station Managers
 

HullRailMan

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Hull used to have a dedicated station manager based in Hull. When he moved on a year or two ago, the current share with Huddersfield position came in. There’s been much criticism of it locally, not least during the locking of one of the entrances earlier this year.
Rightly or wrongly, the lack of a local manager has been linked to issues at the station such as the really poor state of the (virtually new) toilets and waiting room, the the fact that two of the four new retail units have been empty since they were built.
 

sprunt

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Rightly or wrongly, the lack of a local manager has been linked to issues at the station such as the really poor state of the (virtually new) toilets and waiting room, the the fact that two of the four new retail units have been empty since they were built.

I would have thought that a local manager would be responsible for the state of station facilities, but not for finding retail occupants - that sounds to me like something that would be more centrally managed.

Presumably there's some kind of duty manager at any given time in a station the size of Hull, even if there isn't a dedicated local individual with the job title "Station Manager"? There must be somebody who's expected to step up and co-ordinate a response in the event of some kind of incident?
 

philthetube

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What would a resident manager at a station, even a relatively big one like Hull, do that they can't do from somewhere else or by being mobile?

Be aware of passenger expectations and any issues around the station.
 

Peter C

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The station manager who manages my local station also manages Didcot Parkway, Oxford (and the stations between), and the Cotswold Line. Quite a large area! If that is good for her/GWR, I think she should stay there. Seems to work - all the stations work well and look somewhat presentable. (:D)

-Peter
 

Aictos

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Under WAGN days on the GN while the station manager for Bowes Park to Watton-At-Stone was based at Enfield Chase, the area manager for the line was based at Hitchin course it changes every so often when managers play musical chairs but that’s how it was back then and it worked fine.

The position of Huddersfield and Hull sharing the same manager does sound daft though.
 

jimm

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The station manager who manages my local station also manages Didcot Parkway, Oxford (and the stations between), and the Cotswold Line. Quite a large area! If that is good for her/GWR, I think she should stay there. Seems to work - all the stations work well and look somewhat presentable. (:D)

-Peter

But there is a deputy, whose main focus is overseeing the Cotswold Line stations, and there are all of 10 miles between the two big stations at Oxford and Didcot - slightly different from 75 miles between Huddersfield and Hull.
 

Peter C

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But there is a deputy, whose main focus is overseeing the Cotswold Line stations, and there are all of 10 miles between the two big stations at Oxford and Didcot - slightly different from 75 miles between Huddersfield and Hull.
I don't think I was complaining in my post... And I don't see the point in your post. Just saying that there is a manager who manages (as is her job title) the Cotswold Line, Oxford, Radley, Culham, Appleford, and Didcot Parkway.

-Peter
 

HullRailMan

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I would have thought that a local manager would be responsible for the state of station facilities, but not for finding retail occupants - that sounds to me like something that would be more centrally managed.

Presumably there's some kind of duty manager at any given time in a station the size of Hull, even if there isn't a dedicated local individual with the job title "Station Manager"? There must be somebody who's expected to step up and co-ordinate a response in the event of some kind of incident?
I think the empty retail units add to the perception that nobody cares about the station, or that it isn’t a priority. Perhaps a locally based manager would be in a better position to raise these issues centrally? I’m not sure one way or the other, just reflecting the local debate.
 

FGW_DID

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There are only 18 Station Managers for the whole of the GWR Network.
 

tpjm

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Hull used to have a dedicated station manager based in Hull. When he moved on a year or two ago, the current share with Huddersfield position came in. There’s been much criticism of it locally, not least during the locking of one of the entrances earlier this year.
Rightly or wrongly, the lack of a local manager has been linked to issues at the station such as the really poor state of the (virtually new) toilets and waiting room, the the fact that two of the four new retail units have been empty since they were built.

You are incorrect. Hull has never been managed by Huddersfield's station manager.

The TPE network has four Group Station Managers - one for the West (Manchester stations), one for the Core (Stalybridge, Huddersfield, Dewsbury, Leeds), one for the North East (YRK, stations to NCL, MBR and SCA), and one for the East and South Route (stations to Hull (from Leeds) and stations to Cleethorpes (from Sheffield). Obviously, they don't manage all the stations as they are not all TPE operated, but where this is the case, they act as the TPE representative.

Hull was previously managed by a person from near Grimsby and is currently managed by someone who lives between Huddersfield and Leeds.

There is, of course, a local 'duty station manager' at all stations, at all times, whilst they are open.
 
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jimm

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I don't think I was complaining in my post... And I don't see the point in your post. Just saying that there is a manager who manages (as is her job title) the Cotswold Line, Oxford, Radley, Culham, Appleford, and Didcot Parkway.

-Peter

My point, which I though was pretty obvious, was that the titular 'station manager' has precious little actual day-to-day involvement with what happens at station along the Cotswold Line. Same applies elsewhere on GWR as well.
 

Peter C

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My point, which I though was pretty obvious, was that the titular 'station manager' has precious little actual day-to-day involvement with what happens at station along the Cotswold Line. Same applies elsewhere on GWR as well.
OK. :D

-Peter
 

sheff1

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There is, of course, a local 'duty station manager' at all stations, at all times, whilst they are open.

I would love to know where these ever-present duty station managers have been hiding at any number of open stations I have been at over the years.
 

PHILIPE

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I'm going back to the 60s now shortly after Station Managers replaced Station and Yard Masters. At the time, I was employed in a Yard Office and our new Station Manager had never visited the Yard although based barely half a mile away. Shortly afterwards I went for an interview for a post in our newly established Regional Office and one of the people interviewing was my ex Station Manager who had acquired a post in the new organisation, this being the first time we had set eyes on each other..
 

2L70

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I would love to know where these ever-present duty station managers have been hiding at any number of open stations I have been at over the years.

There isn’t any at Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Brough or Selby, all TPE manned and Managed stations.
 

TurbostarFan

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Is a duty manager the same person as the station supervisor? Norwich station has both an area manager (who is based at and manages Norwich station, as well as managing other stations) and a station supervisor.
 

RLBH

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No there isnt.
I must tell the single member of staff on duty at my local station of his (and it's invariably a him, although there are several of them) promotion.

And I assume the job goes to the senior housefly at Corrour?
 

PeterC

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I suspect there will be a miscommunication. I bet one person means the person with day to day responsibility for the staff while the TOC means the person who "owns" the station
As somebody from outside of the railwasy that was my reaction. I know that I have worked in companies where "manager" means that you are on a particular pay grade and others where it simply means that you have some supervisory responsibility. Nobody who has posted seems able to answer the underlying question, is there normally somebody on site at Hull, and at similar stations, who can take ownership of issues and direct other staff regardless of actual job title?
 
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