Northern franchise to end 1 March 2020 with Operator of Last Resort to take over

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Absolutely it would, and it would also carry on darling its keep as an ongoing competency management aid which is desperately needed at Northern.

Did Sid James appear in the film I have emboldened above?

 

[Llama]

Ha, yes well spotted thank you. Tiredness and autocorrect can do wonders.

'Earning its keep', of course.

 

[matt_world2004]

Don't some companies use railworks for simulation practice .it's not a full simulator but often better than nothing and considerably cheaper.

 

[175001]

One of those horrible foam softshell things but without the logos?

That's the one!

 

[transmanche]

As the Northern logo seems to be in Arriva corporate font won't that at least have to change even though it will still be called Northern even though the Arriva reference will no doubt be peeled off/taped over?

The twp fonts share a similar style, but they're not the same.

Compare the r in 'Northern' with those in 'Arriva', they are quite different.


Image shows the Northern by Arriva logo.

 

[C J Snarzell]

I suspect the ''by Arriva'' will simply just be removed or hidden come the 1st March. As I've said previously, some of the older carriages, the pacers in particular are still baring the corporate designs and colours from years ago. I would assume even the Northern staff will continue wearing some of their current uniforms but may have to hide or remove the ''by Arriva'' bit. Some Avanti staff at my local station were still wearing their Virgin clobber a few weeks after the 8th December changeover while they were awaiting the issue of new uniforms. They had to remove or hide any Virgin logos but the red jackets & polo shirts were clearly Virgin ones as the new TOC has gone to green & blue colours for their design.

CJ

 

[Bletchleyite]

The Northern uniform is terrible. I pity those who have to wear the bloody things.

I actually quite like the idea of a smart polo shirt as a simpler and more practical uniform than an old style suit, but the colour and style of the Northern ones makes them all look like contract cleaners.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

I actually quite like the idea of a smart polo shirt as a simpler and more practical uniform than an old style suit, but the colour and style of the Northern ones makes them all look like contract cleaners.

Oxymoron alert!

 

[superkev]

I actually quite like the idea of a smart polo shirt as a simpler and more practical uniform than an old style suit, but the colour and style of the Northern ones makes them all look like contract cleaners.

A northern drive said the uniform made him feel like a Pizza delivery driver. In a word unprofessional.
Let's hope it changes back to something proffessional looking and smart like the previous one.
K

 

[Bletchleyite]

Oxymoron alert!

Not at all. A well-designed branded polo, black formal trousers (or beige chinos - doesn't matter which but same for all staff) and formal shoes looks very tidy. It's not the level of formal as a shirt, tie and jacket, but it's certainly smart.

Northern's polos aren't well designed, they are a yucky colour and a poor fit.

 

[Meerkat]

Polos are never smart enough for public facing.
An “official” looking uniform (a jacket and preferably a hat) makes staff clearly visible.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Polos are never smart enough for public facing.

I think they are. Like with school uniforms, to me a smartly worn polo is much nicer than an inevitably scruffily worn suit.

 

[Mathew S]

Polos are never smart enough for public facing.
An “official” looking uniform (a jacket and preferably a hat) makes staff clearly visible.

No, no, no. Can't begin to tell you how much I disagree with that. Jacket/hat makes the railway (or any other business) look like it's stuck in the 1800s - it's a symbol of everything that's wrong with the railways in this country (and a whole lot else). Smartly worn polo shirts, practical trousers, and plain working shoes - the uniform doesn't need to be formal, in fact that's the last thing it should be. Friendly, smart, practical are the things you want in a uniform for front-line, public-facing staff.

 

[C J Snarzell]

There has to be a right balance between smart & comfortable. Combat trousers although not everyone's cup of tea are comfortable and can look smart if they have a nicely ironed seam in the leg. Combat pockets are definately useful for carrying things like pens, pads, phones, etc so are clearly practical for railway staff. However I simply cannot stand polo shirts as a uniform - they belong as a casual garment for chilling out or playing sports - I would never have them as a uniform in any capacity. A proper shirt is much better - the staff member doesn't have to wear a tie, a shirt can still be worn smarty with the top button undone.

CJ

 

[Llama]

The cheapness of a lot of railway uniforms means the polos rarely look smart.

 

[Bletchleyite]

The cheapness of a lot of railway uniforms means the polos rarely look smart.

Indeed, Northern being a case in point. But a quality polo is cheaper than a cheap suit.

 

[ScottGallagher]

The twp fonts share a similar style, but they're not the same.

Compare the r in 'Northern' with those in 'Arriva', they are quite different.

View attachment 73627
Image shows the Northern by Arriva logo.

I agree to a point but it looks of the same family of fonts at least. With a fleeting look you could be forgiven for thinking it's the same which is why it could be changed in time.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Indeed, Northern being a case in point. But a quality polo is cheaper than a cheap suit.

A daft question maybe but has there ever been an instance where staff are consulted about uniform design or is it just imposed?

 

[js1000]

The cheap-looking, ill-fitting polos the Northern staff wear are just awful. Often complemented with a good beer belly for added panache.

What's wrong with a shirt? Where I work we have no formal uniform policy but I wear a shirt everyday rather than a polo/t-shirt.

 

[Harpers Tate]

Due to cutbacks, the logo will remain largely unchanged:

 

[HH]

Due to cutbacks, the logo will remain largely unchanged

LOL. So someone will just remove the s before not?

 

[Llama]

A daft question maybe but has there ever been an instance where staff are consulted about uniform design or is it just imposed?

Northern's uniform was apparently consulted. If that's right, and if the consultation exercise actually ended up making any difference to the outcome of what we got, please don't let any future uniform be consulted.

 

[Mathew S]

What's wrong with a shirt? Where I work we have no formal uniform policy but I wear a shirt everyday rather than a polo/t-shirt.

They're old fashioned, uncomfortable, impractical, and expensive all by comparison with the alternatives. I don't think I can remember the last time I wore a shirt to work, and to be honest I wouldn't want to work for any organisation that attempted to make me. Uniform needs to enable people to be comfortable and do the job to the best of their ability - if I had to wear a shirt & formal trousers, I would be less good at my job, and I spend a fraction of the time most Northern front-line staff must do on my feet.

 

[Djgr]

Due to cutbacks, the logo will remain largely unchanged:

View attachment 73657

And northern can easily be amended to not them!

 

[HSTEd]

The likes of Polo Shirts and Cargo Trousers can still look smart if they are of decent quality and in relatively good repair.

 

[blackpoolwelsh]

Northern's uniform was apparently consulted. If that's right, and if the consultation exercise actually ended up making any difference to the outcome of what we got, please don't let any future uniform be consulted.

So were the seats and look how that worked out!! #cheapisbest!

 

[northernchris]

They're old fashioned, uncomfortable, impractical, and expensive all by comparison with the alternatives. I don't think I can remember the last time I wore a shirt to work, and to be honest I wouldn't want to work for any organisation that attempted to make me. Uniform needs to enable people to be comfortable and do the job to the best of their ability - if I had to wear a shirt & formal trousers, I would be less good at my job, and I spend a fraction of the time most Northern front-line staff must do on my feet.

Absolutely agree! I work in recruitment and the organisation I work for recently reviewed the culture in order to attract and retain talent. The dress code was something which attracted a lot of comments, and it was decided to adopt a more casual approach. Seems Northern have done the same, and I hope uniform design isn't high up on OLR's priority list given there's more important things to focus on initially

 

[Marton]

I suspect the ''by Arriva'' will simply just be removed or hidden come the 1st March. As I've said previously, some of the older carriages, the pacers in particular are still baring the corporate designs and colours from years ago.CJ

Many of the DMUs here are in Scotrail livery with the name removed, although I have seen the name inside some.

 

[Killingworth]

I suspect the ''by Arriva'' will simply just be removed or hidden come the 1st March. CJ

I saw a 158 without "by Arriva" below Northern last Sunday - wasn't quick enough to get a picture. It looked a very clean unit so possibly just out of refurb. I thought I saw a 195 similarly without "by Arriva" last week, again too late to get a picture, so it may already be happening.

 

[C J Snarzell]

Killingworth

I wouldn't be surprised - the Virgin Trains were being stripped of their signage a few weeks ahead of the change over with Avanti in December. Many of their trains & carriages are still running 'naked' along the west coast line.

With Northern I would assume they will be keeping their signage in tact just simply removing the ''by Arriva'' is far easier.

CJ