London Underground’s Paul Garnish has been presented with the Rail Safety of the Year Award for his work keeping King’s Cross safe during the station’s redevelopment.
Paul has worked as duty manager (DSM) and safety champion at London King’s Cross for the last five years – a period in which the station has more closely ressembled a building site.
“When you’re having a lot of building works safety is something you’ve got to think about all the time,” said Paul.
“I’d particularly like to thank all the staff there at King’s Cross.”
Tom O’Connor, managing director of the Rail Media Group which organises the RailStaff Awards, said: “Thousands of people pass through King’s Cross every day.
“That they can do so quickly and safely is in large measure because of the professionalism of people like Paul Garnish. Safety is the underlying imperative of all railway operations. His skill and professionalism have a direct impact on railways and we salute him.”
As well as his duties as DSM, Paul assisted with the numerous building projects taking place on the station, and most recently played a key role in developing the crowd control plan on the station for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the London Olympics.
London Underground, part of TfL, runs trains on 11 different lines serving 270 stations.  The network has over 408 km of railway, reaching into 28 London Boroughs.
During peak hours London Underground operates more than 500 trains.
This year’s Rail Safety Person of the Year Award was sponsored by Bridgeway Consulting Ltd.
