600 Network Rail volunteers are getting ready for the London Olympics.
They will be joining Team London Ambassadors to welcome athletes and spectators – 80 per cent of whom are expected to travel to the Games by rail.
Travel champions will be out in force at 13 stations including Liverpool Street, St Pancras International, King’s Cross and Stratford International.
Says volunteer Katherine Sherval (pictured), 28, ‘I’m proud of what I achieved in the day job and I’m really excited to do something different and help at the coalface during such an exciting time. Our stations will be the first thing millions of people see when they arrive in London and we only have one chance to make a good impression. I’m determined to give everyone a smile and make them feel welcome.’
Katherine Sherval is a project manager based in London and worked on the upgrade of Stratford station – one of the main rail gateways to the Olympics.
Network Rail’s travel champions will be wearing the same distinctive uniforms and trilby as the Greater London Authority’s Team London Ambassadors. They will be positioned at information pods at stations to help members of the public.
‘We expect 80 per cent of spectators to travel by rail or Tube, so our stations will be gateways to the Games for millions of people,’ says Dave Ward, Network Rail route director.
‘At certain times, our railway will be extremely busy and these enthusiastic volunteers will be there to help make journeys as smooth as possible.’
The railway’s greatest strength is its people and the industry is making sure it fields plenty of them.
