Winning ways The Abellio Achievement Awards Raising standards Sharing best practice in maintenance and repair The wider picture Local transport authorities share their vision

magazine

No.1 For employees and stakeholders of Abellio / December 2013 2 THE ABELLIO WAY MAGAZINE

Column CONTENTS First edition Hello everyone and welcome to the first edition of The Abellio Way Magazine, our magazine for employees and stakeholders across 3 BRAND NEW! THE ABELLIO Abellio’s European network. ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS This magazine embodies all that the Nominate your team, Abellio Way stands for and its importance your colleagues or even yourself! for our business and our customers. It reflects Abellio’s commitment to sharing best practice, innovation and excellence. 4 ON THE ROAD WITH It also aims to strengthen the connections CEO JEFF HOOGESTEGER between colleagues and stakeholders. This connection is extremely important Exploring opportunities because dialogue and partnership are regardless of shape or size the core elements for sustaining healthy and successful relationships. I hope this new magazine will demonstrate that 5 OUR PEOPLE importance. Meet Lenneke Wester, Qbuzz So what does society expect of Abellio and its family of businesses? In many ways the answer is simple: we are expected to facilitate. Constantly asking ourselves this ensures that Abellio 6 The Gathering ­focuses every day on the changing expectations of society. Responding to Best practice workshop these expectations requires genuine Maintaining Excellence people, innovative in spirit and dedicated to a positive future for passenger transport. This is the Abellio Way: beyond a-to-b. Right now we serve over 1.2 million 10 CONVERSATION with people every day, and we are hard at work on innovative and improved stakeholders services such as Bike&Go, Fixing the Link David Brown (Merseytravel in Liverpool) and MtoGo. It is our ambition to bring and Henrik Dagnäs (Skånetrafiken in these new initiatives to our customers in the UK, Germany, Scandinavia and the the Swedish county of Skåne) Netherlands. We look forward to telling you more about it through The Abellio Way … 8 Meanwhile back at Magazine. News from our OpCo’s Enjoy!

12 My Abellio Way Jeff Hoogesteger Abellio Group Chief Executive Officer

COLOPHON The Abellio Way Magazine The Editorial Team Dirksen, Kasper Dudzik, Printed by Number 1 - December 2013 Ed Coumans, Yvonne Mulder, iStockphoto, Merseyrail, Mediacenter, Rotterdam Published by Abellio Group Wies Peters, Dirk van Sambeeck, Merseytravel, Jurjen Poeles, Rose Teunissen (editor-in-chief), Simon Rawles, Aubrey Wade All rights reserved. P.O. Box 2025 Roel Willems, Walter Withagen Editing and design Reproduction in whole or in 3500 HA Utrecht Images Gloedcommunicatie, Nijmegen part without written permission The Netherlands Mieke Dijkman, Christiaan is strictly prohibited. ISSUE 1 – DECEMBER 2013 3

And the winner is … We are in a service business and as such, it is the ­contribution of all our people that ultimately makes the difference in everything we do. Whether it is dealing directly with passengers who need special assistance or making sure the trains or buses are clean and running on time, we are all a vital part of the Abellio Way.

To recognise the people who go the They will be required to make a short extra mile in living and breathing our (60-90 second) video to explain their core values and in improving our entry by 14 February 2014. This performance in the areas that matter video can be as creative as you like most – whether in our head office or and hints and tips for this will be in our operating companies (OpCos) provided if needed. Do not bother – we are launching the Abellio too much about acting, editing or Achievement Awards. music. There’s no need to come up “These awards are a great way to with a million dollar Oscar winner. highlight the work of the individuals Simply use your mobile phone or and teams who deserve special handy cam to shoot your film. recognition”, says George Barron, the Executive Board member champion- Why Enter? ing the Awards. “I encourage The awards process has been everyone to look at the nomination designed to benefit individuals and forms and see how they, their team Abellio. We recognise excellent or colleagues can take the first step ­people and teams and this helps drive to becoming an Abellio Achievement a culture of excellence in everything Award winner. It would be particu- that we do. larly great to have international Not only will winners receive a representation at the Awards Dinner.” prestigious award, they will each receive a gift experience voucher How to Enter worth up to £350 (to a maximum of The Abellio Achievement Awards are £1,750 for the team entry). open to all Abellio and Abellio OpCo And even being a finalist brings its employees. You can complete a own rewards. All finalists will receive nomination form for yourself, for your an all-expenses paid trip to the Abellio team or for a colleague. The deadline Achievements Awards Dinner on 12 for receipt of entry nominations is 8 March 2014 at Shrigley Hall, Cheshire, January 2014. England. The Abellio Way Steering group with representation from across the Download an entry form from your local Abellio Group will be the judging intranet or ask your line manager for an panel. Three finalists will be chosen entry form. in each category by 16 January 2014.

Award Categories

The Abellio Achievement Awards have • The Abellio Way – Areas of Excellence Award been launched to underpin the Abellio • Bringing the Abellio Values to Life Award Way of working and recognise excellence • Abellio Innovator of the Year Award throughout the company • Abellio Leader of the Year Award • Abellio Team of the Year Award • Abellio Employee of the Year Award 4 THE ABELLIO WAY MAGAZINE ON THE ROAD with Abellio Group CEO Jeff Hoogesteger Origin Half Dutch, half South Africa Background Customs & Transport Law, international logistics Personal goals Staying fit and healthy Frequently travels by Trains and airplanes Enjoys Being with his family but also studying at London Business School (Executive MBA) Spare time Mountain biking, watching rugby, scuba diving

’We will explore opportunities of any size or shape’ Abellio is well underway to becoming in several regions, such as Nordrhein-­ ourselves a convenience provider or lifestyle a major competitor in the liberalised Westfalen and Saale-Thüringen-Südharz. facilitator. Concepts like Fixing the Link, railway market. CEO Jeff Hoogesteger, We are also preparing bids for two new Mtogo and Bike & Go are results of that. in Hagen Central Station for a meeting UK rail franchises, Thameslink and Essex Our solutions are not simply profit driven, with the board of Abellio Deutschland, ­Thameside. The latest news is that Abellio but aim to serve client needs, both passen- shares his vision on trends, values and has been shortlisted to bid for the ScotRail gers as well as the tendering authorities. ambitions. franchise. This is fantastic news and This represents a major opportunity for us represents a tremendous opportunity for to be different from other train operating What is the current status of public Abellio. In Sweden, although we have not companies and we build on it by sharing transport markets? “The liberalisation got any operations yet, we are preparing best practice to expand the value for money of the European market will continue. As to prequalify and bid for franchises in cities we can offer.” stated in the 4th EU Railway Package, core such as Gothenburg. Our aim is to improve network activities will be tendered through operational excellence in all of our existing Abellio greatly respects the value of the public transport procurement process. businesses and optimise multi-modal, knowledge. “Knowledge is key in our We focus on the liberalised countries in door-to-door offerings.” business. Therefore, we truly believe in best which we are able to compete on a level practice sharing in all kinds of fields, ranging playing field: the UK, some states of This door-to-door thinking is a big thing from safety to innovation. The Abellio Way Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands. for Abellio. “Of course. Passengers travel provides the framework for this extensive We do that with determination: we have from door to door, rather than from station knowledge sharing programme. Since we exchanged our bid-to-learn attitude for one to station. Their journey goes beyond a-to-b. work in a bid-to-operate market, we of bid-to-win. And with the result that in With our portfolio we are able to combine exchange best practices between all our Germany we recently won five of seven modalities, retail and station development operating companies. This makes for an bids. We are now expanding rail operations into one service concept. We consider entrepreneurial and very transparent ISSUE 1 – DECEMBER 2013 5

Abellio is a melting pot of people from a diverse range of cultures and backgrounds. That helps make Abellio unique. Meet our people!

What is the closest deadline you are trying to meet? our “On 2 May 2013 our company was granted the concession for bus and people tram services in the Utrecht region. Great news, but we immediately had to set up a mobilisation team to get Who: Lenneke everything up and running before 8 Wester December 2013, when our service would Job description: become effective. We had to inform and Project team train personnel, order buses, schedule ­member in the services, design uniforms and refurbish field of Travel offices. A lot of work in a short time span, information, but we did it thanks to an amazing team Marketing & of professionals.” Communications at Qbuzz Your specific responsibilities? Workplace: “My job covers travel information, marketing Utrecht, and communication. We have developed a The Netherlands colourful and eye-catching concept for travel Currently information, with destination colours and working on: symbols on departure charts and signs. It is an Mobilisation of awesome feeling when you have a bus stop sign in your hands for the first time! It is great Qbuzz – a bus to see how our ideas have become a reality in company in the past weeks.” Utrecht

Any signs of the Abellio Way? “Now that Qbuzz is operating we are beginning culture among all the levels of staff. Our bids to embrace the Abellio Way. I have already taken contain extensive international exchange of part in an international project managers meeting experiences, skills and competences.” with colleagues from the UK and Germany. Very inspiring, I must say, and I look forward to sharing How about the other Abellio corporate best practice with Abellio companies.” values? “Our values - genuine, pro-active, professional and inclusive – are a vital part of the equation. The other thing is the broader context of norms and behaviour that come along with them. ‘Safety comes first’ is an absolute norm for everyone in “It is great to see Abellio Group, as well as accountability. how our ideas Also, we highly respect cultural and diverse backgrounds and beliefs.” have become a reality” With all this in mind: where will the company be in 5 years’ time? “I see significant opportunities to grow our business both profitably and sustainably in that time. The key, however, is to maintain energy and enthusiasm for continuous innovation and responsiveness to the ever changing transport needs of the society we serve.” 6 THE ABELLIO WAY MAGAZINE

MAINTAINING EXCELLENCE The Gathering: best practice workshop

Before 2013, Abellio relied on Vehicle maintenance an annual corporate eventto Time vs. mileage drive best practice through & repair strategies Inspection schedules for Abellio the companies. Our expansion London buses are based on time as a business required us to not mileage, as 30% of average assess the effectiveness of Specialists running time is idle. this approach, and this year Northern Rail has specialists in many traction types we replaced it with a more as it has inherited 13 systematic and sustainable different models, Late or insulted? programme of highly targeted, with an average The train due to leave themed best practice work- age of 24 years. the yard is covered in shops. graffiti. Should it run? Are passengers more upset by cancellations Jan Chaudhry, Business Close contact than by rude words? ­Im­provement Director, says: By placing the Fleet “The workshops are part of a Support Helpline team opposite the Control whole range of activities that Room personnel, contribute to developing the current and Abellio Way. By sharing best potential incidents Nightshift practice, we improve operations are highlighted Working time regulations and expertise across the immediately at and restrictions make franchises. That, in turn, helps Abellio Greater scheduling maintenance Anglia. us retain and improve existing at night (when most equipment is idle) more business and win new contracts.” difficult.

Source material TARGET GROUP It is often easier to source parts for older A recent workshop brought equipment because the part is likely to be together those responsible for ‘a bit of metal’ rather than a sophisticated component. maintenance and repairs in the rail and bus companies, including a manager from NedTrain, the rolling stock maintenance division of our parent company Nederlandse Spoorwegen. It also included members of bid teams Bid team in the UK and Germany. perspective

HAMISH SINCLAIR THE GOALS Engineering Workstream leader, Maintenance and repairs are UK Rail Bids critical to operational excellence In bids we have to do more for less and can have great impact on and improve customer satisfaction. We efficiency and customer satisfac- therefore need feedback on maintenance tion. Sharing knowledge among programmes and costs: what is the life the operating companies (OpCos), span of vehicles, what is repairable, how rail and bus, helps drive standards long is a unit out of service, are we measuring up and costs out. The bid teams the right things? We need to get the balance also use that knowledge to build right. Higher maintenance costs can improve franchise proposals, with support- availability and reduce lease costs. All this ing evidence that will result in knowledge is business critical in the bid process. higher bid scores. ISSUE 1 – DECEMBER 2013 7

MAINTAINING EXCELLENCE Engage with all stakeholders to create ownership: • Involve frontline staff as much as possible. Focus has moved from engineering approach • Encourage all people to take more responsibility for to operational excellence. Goal is to achieve their own influence on quality. • Engineering and operations teams need to work more closely together. total customer • Listen to customers’ priorities. orientation

identified lessons learned Technicians have different skills some New diagnostic programmes are good at fault-finding, some like can produce a tsunami of data. to stand in a pit and ‘hit things with Ensure we know how to extract a hammer’, others want to work with a sophisticated programme on exactly the information we need – iPads. Work to your team’s individual and how to use it to improve our strengths and both productivity and maintenance operations and work satisfaction will improve. schedules.

JAN MARTEN FEIL COR LIEFTING Member of the bid team for Abellio NedTrain (Netherlands) explains: Deutschland Monitoring systems highlight anomalies before they It is essential to include the maintenance concept ­become problems. They also allow people at the depot during bid preparation. The location and competence to see exactly the same information in the cab as the of the depot is critical, especially if we have to meet technician or driver out in the field. Some technicians the requirements of landowner Deutsche Bahn. have a head camera or iPads to film the problem to get immediate assistance or to attach a video to a work order. The way ahead The potential is endless. All participants agreed that remote control monitoring­ systems will significantly improve maintenance and repair programmes. 8 THE ABELLIO WAY MAGAZINE

Local transport authorities adopt commercial approach Local transport authorities are dealing with continuously changing national legislation and market needs. How do they cope in the countries in which Abellio is operating? Henrik Dagnäs, Managing Director of Skånetrafiken in the Swedish county of Skåne, and David Brown, Chief Executive and Director General at Merseytravel in Liverpool, share their vision on the future market.

“We put the customer at the centre of all planning decisions”

What are the biggest provision in modern real time bus services. The vast majority transport challenges facing systems and smart ticketing.” operate on profit making the Liverpool City Region? basis by private companies “There are many, but we are What legislative changes with no strategic control DAVID ready for them. First is the would improve your ability by Merseytravel.” BROWN significant financial pressure to manage public transport? Chief Executive that local authorities are facing “The services operated by What is your long term vision and Director so we have to be clear about Merseyrail are unique in that for customers? General at our spending priorities. Second, Merseytravel is the strategic “A public transport system that Merseytravel in is clarity about investing in our authority for this 25 year meets the current and future Liverpool heavy rail system to improve concession. This facilitates needs of all our customers. rolling stock and increase stronger partnership working For this reason we put the capacity. This will -enable us and a joint investment plan. customer at the centre of all to maximise the benefits of We would like similar provision planning decisions, from the high speed line due to be for other rail services to allow devising routes for buses to built in the mid-2030’s. Third Merseytravel and other local deciding on rolling stock is ensuring we serve the transport authorities in the specification and investment in changing travel patterns and North to have the strategic technology for ticketing, travel growing expectations of all management role over local and information provision.” our customers. This includes rail. The second change would investing in information be greater control over local ISSUE 1 – DECEMBER 2013 9

“I am convinced that we can do a lot better with more focus on the customers”

public transport companies neighbouring counties. HENRIK with a local anchored and This is a challenge, due to DAGNÄS offensive strategy to develop great differences in size and Managing Director of their own commercial public resources. I expect the public Skånetrafiken in the transport in Skåne.” transport companies to take a Swedish county of Skåne larger commercial responsibil- Have the new laws ity for the traffic we subsidise changed the work mode in the future. This means that ABOUT ­MERSEYTRAVEL Can you explain how the of Skånetrafikken? we, as the authority, will Merseytravel is the operating new public transport laws ”We need to adopt a more allocate responsibilities and name for the Merseyside Integrated in Sweden work? commercially oriented focus. use the operators to develop Transport Authority and Merseyside ”The new laws imply that any Meeting the overall public our brands.” Passenger Transport Executive. public transport company can transport objectives of Merseytravel is responsible for issuing – at its own risk – establish gaining market share and What do the changes mean franchises to the operators of the commercial public transport being more effective is not for customers in Skåne? Merseyrail system and providing within all geographic market only tough for us, but also ”Public transport will adapt to subsidies to bus services to operate segments and all modes of for transport operators. customer needs. We need to services which aren’t of commercial transport without prior We have overhauled our work in partnership with benefit but where there is a social permission. They also imply internal organisation in an commercial operators. In need. that the transport authorities effort to reflect the new Skåne public transport has a need to identify which market conditions. We have relatively high market share ABOUT SKÅNETRAFIKEN transport systems need to be structured the organisation of 26.4%. I am convinced that Skånetrafiken is the third largest subsidised and are subject to around transport modes and we can do a lot better with Passenger Transport Authority in competitive tendering in the a number of support functions. more focus on the customers, Sweden. It manages rail, bus and context of the overall Public transport policies in the relevance of our transport special transport in the county transport strategies. I am Sweden are determined at system, awareness of our of Skåne in southern Sweden. convinced that the new laws county level. It is important to offerings and focus on the Skånetrafiken carries approximately will open opportunities for coordinate our business with door-to-door concept.” 150 million passengers per year. 10 THE ABELLIO WAY MAGAZINE MEANWHILE BACK AT ...

Merseyrail Celebrating 10 years of success

Merseyrail, a joint venture between “Merseyrail has come on a lot over the last Executive for Merseyside, was awarded the Abellio and Serco, is marking a decade ten years and it’s largely down to excellent 25 year Merseyrail concession, customer of service to customers in and around working relations with Merseytravel and satisfaction has increased from 82 to 92% the city of Liverpool. The occasion was our two shareholders, without whom our and Merseyrail now ranks among the top marked at Rock Ferry station in the success would not have been possible. It’s three UK rail operators. Wirral with the unveiling of a new fitting, I think, that we marked this happy “Merseyrail currently boasts rates of name plate on one of the trains, ­occasion with the naming of a train, which punctuality and reliability which are among ‘Merseyrail – celebrating the first will act as a reminder in years to come of the highest in the UK, and is extremely ten years 2003-2013’. some of the great things we did over the popular with passengers, who will continue first decade”, says Maarten Spaargaren, to benefit from further innovation and major Managing Director Merseyrail. investments in the future”, comments Since Merseytravel, the combined Dominic Booth, Managing Director of Passenger Transport Authority and Abellio UK.

colleagues at the introduction ness of men’s health issues, Qbuzz meetings for new employees. such as prostate and testicular Taking over Moreover, the first new bus cancer and mental health. Utrecht buses arrived in Holland, so we took Movember encourages men the opportunity to visit it to become ‘Mo Bros’ by with consumer organisations growing a moustache accreditation for Investors and press. We moved offices throughout November to in People (IIP), reflecting the to Utrecht. If you are raise millions of pounds! value the company places on interested, you can follow the Women, known as ‘Mo its people. The recognition, news via our new web page: Sistas,’ get involved too by held since 2009, confirms www.u-ov.info supporting them all the way. the continued and sustained Loads of our employees got improvements that have involved and to prove our been implemented in all Northern Rail support, we even added areas and provides a great Northern moustaches to the front of foundation for strengthen- supports our trains. Our efforts raised ing the business in the Movember over £10,000! future. These changes have Within Qbuzz we are In Northern we’ve been www.northernrail.org/ been implemented through currently very busy working supporting men’s health movember the Abellio Way framework on the implementation of charity, Movember, with a which will be a cornerstone the tender in Utrecht: from world first – the ‘Mo Train’! Abellio London of achieving the goal of 8 December we will be the We joined forces with becoming ‘The Best Bus transport company of Movember to raise aware- & Surrey Company in London & the ‘region Utrecht’. Some Contract and Surrey’. Greatly improved highlights of the last few IIP renewed performance across a range weeks: we already shook Abellio London & Surrey has of measures was also hands with 900 of our new successfully retained the recognised recently by the ISSUE 1 – DECEMBER 2013 11

Liverpool Central

Since its refurbishment was completed in 2012, Liverpool Central, Merseyrail’s flagship station, has scooped a raft of awards. In the autumn, it was named overall station of the year in the National Rail Awards, known in A better experience for customers Continuous improvement the industry as the Merseytravel does not regret being awarded Robinson sets out what lies ahead: Oscars for rail, and at the management of the Merseyrail conces- “The next ten years will be about taking the National Transport sion in 2003. At the train naming ceremony, this service to the next level with a clear Awards, it won in the Councillor Liam Robinson, chair of set of customer focused improvements to rail station of the Merseytravel, said: “The first ten years has rolling stock and stations.” year category. shown what local input and oversight and A 40 million pound programme to Earlier in 2013, it a close working relationship with a rail refurbish the five underground stations is was pronounced the operator can achieve. The travelling now well underway and Merseytravel is winner in the station experience has been transformed and this developing solutions to modernise the excellence category of can be seen through consistently high entire Merseyrail fleet. the Rail Business performance and customer satisfaction Awards. scores and award-winning stations.”

main customer, Transport about prices or unfamiliar ten categories. This is a for London, in awarding the with how to use ticket significant sweep against business yet another new bus machines are just some of strong competition. contract to start in 2014. the worries that frequently The categories we won are: prevent senior citizens from • Best Customer Service Abellio catching a train. In order to • Best Partnership (for remove such obstacles, Chelmsford Cycle Point) Deutschland Abellio provides special • Station of the Year for Mobility training mobility training for senior Chelmsford for senior citizens citizens on a regular basis, on the Ruhr-Sieg in collaboration with the Abellio We are extremely proud network relevant authorities and the Anglia of our achievements and Train travel is often a major German Federal Police. “We Greater they all help us to provide challenge for people aged 60 explain prices, demonstrate The awards really good case studies to and above. Being uncertain how to use ticket machines keep coming complement the content and, together with the Jonathan Denby, Corporate prepared for our priority federal police, give tips on Affairs Manager at Abellio project – the franchise safety on trains and in train Greater Anglia: “We’ve been extension or Single Tender stations. The sessions are in busy winning awards for Award, which will extend the great demand, which shows everything from our station franchise term until October that we are on the right development programme, 2016.” track, these sessions are cycling initiatives through fully booked well into 2014”, to operator of the year. Our explains Peter Werz, Abellio most recent win at the Deutschland’s Marketing and November National Cycle Rail Communications Manager. Awards 2013 saw us receive the top spot in three of the my

Jake Casey way Chertsey, Surrey Abellio Surrey is in Are you enjoying our new bus? Why do you travel on this bus? airier so I get to work in a better the process of The bus is nice, and the new look I use the bus mainly for travelling to state of mind. The roads may still and layout are quite impressive. work and back. It’s almost door-to- be bumpy but at least I don’t have refurbishing a It’s not as dreary and dank as it door so I can watch a video or two to drive! number of its buses. used to be and I like the way the on Youtube, play on my phone, Anyone you would you like to The following is a seating is laid out. It used to feel listen to music. travel with? dark and everyone looked grumpy, What is the best thing about Perhaps Stephen Fry would be fun passenger’s view of but the new look seems to have your bus journey? – some good conversation, some the improvements on cheered everyone up a bit! It looks The best part is I get to work a bit intellectual banter. route 51 from nice. It’s brighter. It’s as good as happier in the morning! The bus is Brooklands to a bus can be. much quieter than before and feels Staines.