Arriva conductor takes the gold

An 'exceptional' train conductor has taken top honours at theArriva Trains Wales (ATW) Exceptional Contribution Awards forremaining 'cool, calm and collected' in the face of extremeadversity.

Cynthia Evans, who works out of Carmarthen Traincrew Depot, hasreceived a Gold Standard Exceptional Contribution Award – thecompany's highest accolade.

Cynthia received the award for taking care of passengers afterthe 22.05 Swansea to Milford Haven service (Unit 158835) collidedwith 21 cows on the outskirts of Carmarthen. The incident, inOctober last year, happened after the gate to a level crossing wasleft open and the cows wandered on to the line.

Fortunately the train was not derailed but eight passengersremained on board for two and a half hours while emergency servicessecured the scene and cleared the line. In that time Cynthia keptpassengers informed about what was happening, kept spirits highdespite it being late into the night and even shared her ownsandwiches and flask with those on board!

The driver of the train 'Taff' Roberts, who nominated Cynthiafor her award, also received an Exceptional Contribution Award forhis role in the incident.

A new 'Working Together' Award was also presented to an ArrivaTrains Wales employee who demonstrates excellence in working withNetwork Rail. Viv Herbert, a Customer Service Supervisor, fromMachynlleth was nominated for this award by Network Rail forworking tirelessly to limit disruptions, often having thought of aplan before even contacting ATW Control. He also works withsignallers at Machynlleth to prepare the operating documents neededlocally for each timetable change, including all the arrangementsfor the local maintenance depot.

Commenting on the awards, Graeme Bunker, Managing Director ofArriva Trains Wales, said:

I am always incredibly proud to present awards forexceptional service and Cynthia's and Viv's actions demonstrate howour employees are willing to go that extra mile for ourcustomers.

After receiving the Gold Standard Award, Cynthia Evans said:

I was shocked to be nominated for an employee award andam even more so to walk off as overall winner. It's always a teameffort to get services back on track when things don't go asplanned and I'm sure that any one of my colleagues would have donethe same to make sure the customers on board were well lookedafter.

Viv Herbert, winner of the Network Rail 'Working Together'Award, said:

It's a real honour to be recognised by Arriva andNetwork Rail like this. By working on a plan together when thingsdon't run as scheduled, it makes a huge difference to gettingservices back on track.

Wendy Conant a previous winner of the ATW Gold Standard Awardwas commended at last year's National Rail Awards. Wendy, aconductor from Cardiff, received the commendation for 'OutstandingPersonal Contribution' after she escorted a 91 year old passengerfrom Cardiff to Bristol in her own free time to ensure that hereturned home safely.

Twenty five ATW employees received Exceptional ContributionAwards at a ceremony held on Thursday 6 April 2006. The Awards,held twice a year, are based on nominations received from ArrivaTrains Wales employees and include categories such as 'commitmentto delivering a better service' and 'exceptional customercare'.

Ends

Notes to editors

• Arriva Trains Wales employs 2,029 people, over 1,000 of whichwork as drivers or conductors. The company operates 910 services aday (Monday to Friday) and on average conveys 55,000 customers aday.