What are Grand Central like to work for?

[Suraggu]

Good morning everyone.

I am lucky to get an Interview with Grand Central next week for the Customer Service Assistant @ Bradford. I have been working for the railway for 7 years with different TOC's.

I was wondering if anyone can help me. The Customer Service Assistants at Bradford, are their two different grades? As I have travelled on the Bradford service before and we had a CSA in charge of the train aka dispatch and a CSA on catering.

Also what are Grand Central like to work for as a company?

Cheers in advance.

 

[Maybe]

Good morning everyone.

I am lucky to get an Interview with Grand Central next week for the Customer Service Assistant @ Bradford. I have been working for the railway for 7 years with different TOC's.

I was wondering if anyone can help me. The Customer Service Assistants at Bradford, are their two different grades? As I have travelled on the Bradford service before and we had a CSA in charge of the train aka dispatch and a CSA on catering.

Also what are Grand Central like to work for as a company?

Cheers in advance.

I worked for them for 4 years from the start up of Bradford.

To be honest they are alright. Expect to encounter the same problems day in day out regarding fleet problems, and don't expect too much support.

The best thing about Bradford is probably your gaffer, who is firm but fair. It is is definately better than the Sunderland depot whose guard/catering manager is an absolute joke who doesn't no the first thing what they are doing.

The staff are sound and are very sociable.

The run from Bradford to Doncaster is a killer though, takes just as long if not longer than don to the cross.

One word of advice on the interview itself, really bang on about customer service and safety.

Although you do not dispatch the train yourself, all guards (senior conductors) self dispatch at all stations so you will have to assist at times.

Best of luck

 

[Suraggu]

Cheers for the heads up in regards to the interview and the Depot.
On the application form I mentioned about previously working on class 180's and in times of disruption, levels of customer service and previous safety related experience.

I appriciate all the information you have passed over.
One thing that interests me is the CSA carrying out dispatch on a train I was travelling on.... His badge definitely said CSA.

Also another thing interests me, the new Bradford Service the unit sits in the depot for 3 hours, will the crew be travelling back PASS and another crew travel south?

Cheers once again

 

[Maybe]

They have trained up quite a few of the Csa's to be guards,so in times of disruption they can perform higher grade duties. Basically A CHEAPER WAY than employing more guards than they need too.as they only pay them the guards rate when they act up.

Regarding the set sitting in the station, I haven't worked for them for 6 months so not 100% sure! however it used to just sit here until the next crew booked on, there wasn't another journey to do afterwards.
Just as I was leaving the talk of cross depot working was on the horizon so I imagine you perhaps may find a crew change over at York or Doncaster.

Best of of yuck with your interview however, just keep in mind that it is not like working for a Toc. YOU are definately a face as opposed to a number, and you will find things happen very very slowly. They also like to look for scapegoats to protect the management from the numerous cock ups they make.

 

[Suraggu]

Ah yes Scapegoats, I learnt that with AXC.
Il remember that thank you
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Ah yes Scapegoats, I learnt that with AXC.
Il remember that thank you

 

[Traineeconductor]

Ah yes Scapegoats, I learnt that with AXC.
Il remember that thank you
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Ah yes Scapegoats, I learnt that with AXC.
Il remember that thank you

As long as you keep ya head down ya should be fine. As been said the manager is great but also becarefull are some staff do carry the info back to the manager so becarefull what ya say and who ya say it to.

 

[Suraggu]

As long as you keep ya head down ya should be fine. As been said the manager is great but also becarefull are some staff do carry the info back to the manager so becarefull what ya say and who ya say it to.

Oh those type of Staff. Yeah I know those, non-railwayman. I would be their to work.... Thank you for the heads up

 

[Danny Dire]

I have had the misfortune of working for Grand Central in Sunderland, and as another poster says, the guard manager, Spock, as she's known, is totally out of her depth. She has the people skills of nightclub bouncer and the same IQ.

Grand Central soon have to reapply for their access rights and under this government it is highly unlikely they will be granted. The Conservatives know that private access companies don't pay much for the rights and are a drain on the ORCATS pot, and as anyone will tell you, Grand Central were only set up to raid the ORCATS pot, the passenger numbers back this up.

It is possible the Sunderland depot will survive if Arriva get the East Coast franchise, but the Bradford route will be disposed with as non-profitable.

The CSA's at Bradford accept that promotion to Senior Conductor can take years, but seem happy with their lot as it's easy money on quiet trains. Their manager is a decent woman who knows her job but she gets bogged down with directives from those above who sit in their ivory towers, especially the Scotsman known as Dice, due to his many faces.

If you had the choice of working for Grand Central or as part of a knife throwing act in the Circus, take the job at the Circus, you have less chance of being stabbed in the back !

 

[Maybe]

I have had the misfortune of working for Grand Central in Sunderland, and as another poster says, the guard manager, Spock, as she's known, is totally out of her depth. She has the people skills of nightclub bouncer and the same IQ.

Grand Central soon have to reapply for their access rights and under this government it is highly unlikely they will be granted. The Conservatives know that private access companies don't pay much for the rights and are a drain on the ORCATS pot, and as anyone will tell you, Grand Central were only set up to raid the ORCATS pot, the passenger numbers back this up.

It is possible the Sunderland depot will survive if Arriva get the East Coast franchise, but the Bradford route will be disposed with as non-profitable.

The CSA's at Bradford accept that promotion to Senior Conductor can take years, but seem happy with their lot as it's easy money on quiet trains. Their manager is a decent woman who knows her job but she gets bogged down with directives from those above who sit in their ivory towers, especially the Scotsman known as Dice, due to his many faces.

If you had the choice of working for Grand Central or as part of a knife throwing act in the Circus, take the job at the Circus, you have less chance of being stabbed in the back !

Haha nice post, very much agree, by the wording of the name, you are an acronym of perhaps two people I may know, but I suspect you are neither. Have sent you a message to see who you are, as I'm after a bit of advice if that's alrite?

 

[Maybe]

Been a long time visitor to this board from time to time, but must admit have never dipped my toe in before now.

However felt I was compelled to drop my 10p in here for what it's worth.

Avoid like the ****in plague son. Biggest bunch of jokers going. The staff are sound, however I can only think of two decent gaffers managers who won't sell you out and they are on the driving side.

Sunderland manager don't get me started. She is absolutely clueless, and will sell you down the river in an instant.

One of the best guards or blokes I had the pleasure of working with in Sunderland was screwed over by her a few months back and the place hasn't been the same.

If you like working for a company where your hard work and effort is ignored then it's probably the ideal place for you.

I am looking for my first way out and I will be gone.

Never worked in the Bradford depot so cannot help you out on that one.

 

[WCMLaddict]

Oh come on, I like the Scotsman from the The Ivory Towers. He's good!

 

[Danny Dire]

Been a long time visitor to this board from time to time, but must admit have never dipped my toe in before now.

However felt I was compelled to drop my 10p in here for what it's worth.

Avoid like the ****in plague son. Biggest bunch of jokers going. The staff are sound, however I can only think of two decent gaffers managers who won't sell you out and they are on the driving side.

Sunderland manager don't get me started. She is absolutely clueless, and will sell you down the river in an instant.

One of the best guards or blokes I had the pleasure of working with in Sunderland was screwed over by her a few months back and the place hasn't been the same.

If you like working for a company where your hard work and effort is ignored then it's probably the ideal place for you.

I am looking for my first way out and I will be gone.

Never worked in the Bradford depot so cannot help you out on that one.

Good luck in getting out, believe me, the World is a far better place when you're not looking over your shoulder all the time at Grand Central. Trust me, just because you haven't done anything wrong doesn't mean they won't nail you for something if your face doesn't fit.

The Sunderland depot was built on fear & bullying, the management encouraged people to grass on one another in the forsaken hope they would gain promotion.

Here's something for anyone who thinks they're a nice bunch to work for to ponder on.
When Tom Clift sadly passed away, was there any mention on the company website? Perhaps a small tribute to a man who went the extra mile on a daily basis? Someone who always made time to speak with passengers and who was instantly recognisable when he was on the platform during major disruption?

No. Not a single mention of him.
Yes, they really care for their own at Grand Central.

 

[Suraggu]

Thank you everyone for your responses.
I have received messages good and bad. Mainly about being careful what you say (Most TOC's are like this) and about their track access rights.

I am aware that the ORR will decide by the end of the year if Grand Central get their proposal of running services until 2026.
Again if Arriva Bid and then won the East Coast Franchise I have always thought GC woul be pulled as they did to WSMR.
Plus I am moving to the area so I have to look at the medium term as well. I understand the Bradford services being quieter but they have been given permission to run another service

 

[Maybe]

I would like to reiterate however that my previous posts where not to put you off. At the end of the day you work to live, not live to work.

Bradford and Sunderland are 2 different depots in every sense. You will find that staff morale is higher there, and that they are more sociable, the bitchiness does not have time to settle as the guard/catering manager has a grip on it.

If you are successful you will find out what I mean, drivers aside, the two depots do not mix, and Bradford is by far the best depot to work out of.

Set wise however, you will find that Bradford tends to suffer during disruption in favour of enabling the more established route (Sunderland) to run smoother, and you will take the flack for it.

Plus the majority if not all of the main maintanence work is carried out from Heaton, which GC class as their maintanence depot, so at times you will find yourself working sets that would never in a million years be allowed off depot, as GC class everywhere else as fueling points including Bounds Green where the set sits overnight.

Best of luck with your interview, and if you want anymore specific info please feel free to pm me.