Staff at one of Northern‘s busiest railway stations in Lancashire are finalists in this year’s RailStaff Awards.

The staff in line for the award are employed by train operator Northern as part of the gateline team at Blackpool North station, which is used by more than 1.7 million people each year.

This year’s RailStaff Awards winners will be announced during an awards ceremony that will be held in Birmingham on Thursday, 28th November. 

Each year, gateline staff face a wide range of challenging situations, especially during the summer months when they provide support and assistance to the tens of thousands of customers who pass through the station.

Among the many incidents they have effectively dealt with are instances of anti-social behaviour, distressed people who were at risk of harm and needed help, and responding to several medical emergencies.

On another occasion, they were praised for rescuing a vulnerable customer who fell onto the track, and another time they performed CPR on a customer who had collapsed before paramedics arrived.

“They are a really good team that work so well together. There’s a great atmosphere as they’re all friends who look after each other.
“It’s a really busy seaside destination and we have major events going on all year round.
“We’ve also seen a huge rise in the number of people coming through the station in recent years and the number of requests for assistance has doubled since Covid.
“But the team take it all in their stride and rise to the challenge on a daily basis.
“They’re always prepared to do overtime and cover for each other, so they can help out to keep the place running.
“They thoroughly deserve this and it’s an absolute pleasure to manage them.”

Mick Elliot, Blackpool North station manager

This year’s nomination comes after several Northern staff were nominated as finalists in last year’s RailStaff awards and as finalists in this year’s National Rail Awards held in September

Mick Elliot is also in line to be named as a Rail Manager of the Year Award at the same ceremony.

In his nomination, he was described as an outstanding manager who motivates all staff to drive forward and go beyond their normal everyday duties.