Strengthening Our Contribution Southeastern Sustainability Report 2019 Southeastern operates the train services between London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. This is one of the busiest and most complex networks in the country, and includes the UK’s only domestic high speed service. Every week, our 4,350 employees help 1.75 million passengers get to where they need to go by train. We manage 164 stations and serve a total of 180 stations. During peak hours, we help around 260,000 passengers travel on our network and last year we ran an average of 1,786 daily metro, mainline and high speed passenger services into and out of major London terminals, which is more than any other rail operating company in the UK. 2 Southeastern Sustainability Report 2019 In this report Our reporting structure 02 A Message from David We are committed to operating our rail Statham services in a way which helps to put 04 Financial Contribution our services at the heart of the 06 Smarter Technology communities they serve. This report is 08 Stronger Communities split into six sections: 10 Happier Customers 12 Better Teams Financial Contribution 13 Cleaner Environment To work together with suppliers to 14 Key Data jointly deliver the best possible service. Read more on page 4 Smarter technology Adapting and implementing new technology to improve our business. Read more on page 5 Stronger communities Supporting activities and events that help build stronger communities. Find out more... Read more on page 6 Twitter: @SE_Railway Happier customers Facebook: southeasternofficial Empowering colleagues and making improvements to increase satisfaction. Website: Read more on page 8 southeasternrailway.co.uk Better teams Enhancing skills, capabilities and culture to improve our performance. Read more on page 10 Cleaner environment Reducing our impact and enhancing the sustainability of our operations. Read more on page 12 01 A Message from David Statham “ I have been very proud to serve as Managing Director of Southeastern for the past five years. Over that time, we have made significant progress and it is clear what our passengers expect from us both today and into the future. ” David Statham Managing Director 2019 highlights We operate 164 stations and our trains serve • 4 out of every 5 passengers (80%) 180 stations across London, Kent and East now rate themselves as very or Sussex. We see around 640,000 weekday fairly satisfied with their journey. passenger journeys on our network – making us one of the busiest rail operators in the UK. • Punctuality improved by nearly Earlier this year, the Department for Transport 10% in the last two years. confirmed a further extension to our franchise • Highly commended in the National until 1st April 2020. This follows a significant year- Rail Awards’ Passenger Operator on-year improvement in our levels of passenger of the Year category satisfaction, according to the Transport Focus National Rail Passenger Survey in June 2019. • Set up colleague network groups - Women in Rail Empowerment, I am delighted that we have made sustained sOUTheastern (LGBT+) and Mind significant improvement, which reflects the daily the Gap (mental health) hard work of all 4,350 of us at Southeastern. We have delivered more than £80 million of • Celebrated 10 years of Highspeed improvements for passengers since we began a service, carrying over 100 million new Direct Award contract in 2014. passengers Our punctuality has improved by nearly 10% • Rolled out new information and in the last two years. We have introduced entertainment service free Wi-Fi on our trains and boosted capacity Southeastern Motion on board with 5,000 extra seats. Over this • £70m of step-free access work next extension period, our focus remains completed since Access for All squarely on our passengers, delivering more scheme began in 2006 improvements and continuing to improve the punctuality and reliability of our services. • Largest solar photovoltaic deployment on rail network We have put a lot of emphasis this year on our outside London, reducing carbon work to promote diversity and inclusion within emissions by 5,000 tonnes our business. For example, we worked with GTR and Network Rail to invite 220 colleagues 02 Southeastern Sustainability Report 2019 from across our three companies to the first to the valued passengers who use the service ever Rail Diversity and Inclusion conference every day and the vibrant communities it has in July. We have also set up colleague helped shape. network groups such as WIRE (Women in Rail One person who knows the value of high speed Empowerment), sOUTheastern (LGBT+) and better than most is Orpington’s very own ‘Mind the Gap’ (mental health) to support World Champion sprinter Dina Asher-Smith. everyone working at Southeastern. Last year, we named one of our Javelin trains 2019 saw us celebrate the 10th anniversary after her, paying homage to not only Dina’s of our Highspeed service. We are very speed, but her experiences of being a regular proud to be operating Britain’s first and only Southeastern passenger. domestic high speed railway service. Working Anyone who works in rail will tell you that it is not alongside our partners, HS1 and Hitachi, we possible to stand still. You have to be constantly have seen ten years of progress, ten years of looking ahead, striving for improvements and growing prosperity, ten years of time-saving investing in the future. Our latest sustainability connections and ten years of life-changing report highlights some of our achievements over opportunities. the past year and provides plenty of examples We have carried 100 million passengers since for how we are strengthening our contribution 2009 and the number continues to rise year to the communities which we serve. I hope you on year as demand increases. Highspeed is a enjoy reading it. huge part of all our lives – from the people who David Statham have made the past 10 years a speedy success, Managing Director Left: World champion Dina Asher-Smith next to the Highspeed train bearing her name Sustainability Report 2019 Southeastern 03 Financial Contribution The UK economy relies on rail. Key highlights It brings benefits to individuals, communities and the nation as a whole. Economically, rail connects workers to jobs 4,350 and enables trade. employees working across our network Southeastern employs over 4,350 people, mostly in Kent, East Sussex and London, and also helps to support our local communities. Socially, rail provides access to employment £16.2m and education and unites friends and families. profit share return to government Supporting the Regional and National Economy In 2019, the company made a direct £81.65 contribution to the UK economy through distributed by every Highspeed £60.3m it paid in income taxes and £10.3m in Corporation Tax. towns are continuing to grow. Visit Kent data Southeastern also returned £16.2m to the suggests that for every Highspeed leisure government in profit share which was above journey made to Kent, £81.65 is distributed contractual levels. We also indirectly support throughout the regional economy. the economy by providing thousands of people with the means to travel to work, shops and Ethical Procurement other services every day. Go-Ahead’s ethical procurement plan guides our supply chain procurement and High Speed Prosperity management processes. As a buyer of goods The changes to journey times enabled by and services, we have a responsibility for the our Highspeed service have transformed the supply chains from which these goods and opportunities available to people living in Kent. services come into the organisation. We take High speed infrastructure has delivered an into account ethical as well as commercial estimated £1 billion boost to the Kent visitor and technical factors when considering which economy and supported around 72,000 jobs. suppliers to partner with. Businesses in Kent have also benefited Southeastern encourages its suppliers to from the service, with tourists and leisure adhere to similar high standards of corporate passengers now accounting for up to 30% responsibility and to have in place appropriate of all journeys made. Visit Kent tourism safeguards against bribery, corruption accounted for 100,000 passengers in 2010, and and facilitation payments. In particular, we seven years on there were 890,000 tourists expect our suppliers to be committed to in Kent and East Sussex. Destinations such high standards of health and safety and to as Margate, Folkestone and the Medway demonstrate a respect for the environment. 04 Southeastern Sustainability Report 2019 Smarter Technology During 2019, we have made further progress in adapting and implementing new technology to improve both our passenger experience and the way we operate our business. Upgrading The Key In January, we announced an upgrade of The Above: Colleagues launch the second phase of The Key at Key, the smart ticket now available for season Sittingbourne station in December 2018 tickets as well as a wide range of single and return fares. Tickets on The Key can now be wind down on the way home with a favourite bought and picked up from Southeastern TV show. From eBooks to magazines, news ticket offices in place of the old-style paper feeds, podcasts and TV shows, the service tickets which can wear out easily in ticket is accessed via our free on-board Wi-Fi. It is gates. Tickets can also be bought online, and just one of the ways in which Southeastern redeemed by tapping in and out of ticket gates. continues to invest in its service to provide The Key can be managed online through better journeys for passengers. customers’ individual accounts, so replaced more easily if lost. Each smart ticket is Improving Passenger Information registered to an individual, it means that a Feedback from passengers tells us that one new one can be sent quickly to a customer’s of their biggest priorities is timely and reliable home address.