EXPRESSLINES IS THE STAFF MAGAZINE FOR TRANSLINK

EXPRESSLINES SPRING 2010 is published by Translink, the integrated public transport services provided by Metro, NIRailways and Ulsterbus.

Our vision is to provide integrated travel solutions that are attractive, sustainable and good value.

PRODUCTIONEditorial: Dolores Vischer,DVPR Services, 028 9080 7337Design: Whitenoise028 9073 0999Photography: Various Print: Commercial Graphics028 9127 0431

WELCOME TO EXPRESSLINESSPRING 2010 YOUR STAFF MAGAZINE

Clare CostelloEditor

Elaine McCurdy Sub-editor

Welcome!Welcome to the Spring 2010 issue of Expresslines in which we explain the benefits of the new ‘Translink Network’ project.

We also bring you news of the Translink Smart Movers scheme, a new initiative aimed at encouraging new home residents to use publictransport in their area.

2009 was a very successful year with Translink winning many local and national awards; we bring you a round up and see how 2010 is also off to a great start.

Thanks to Enniskillen driver James McCaffrey who tells us about his bowls championship success, and Philip Reid, Energy Engineer, who took part in the ‘All in a day’s work’ feature.

We look forward to receiving your suggestions for the next issue and your feedback on this issue.

Clare CostelloEditor

At your service...Have you got an interesing hobby or sport story? Or, have you, your team or your department achieved something you would like your colleagues to know about?

We want your stories, comments and feedback to publish in the next issue of Expresslines.

Email the editor: clare.costello@translink.co.uk

Email the Sub-editor: elaine.mccurdy@translink.co.uk

Send by post: Expresslines, Marketing Department, Translink, Central Station, East Bridge Street, Belfast BT1 3PB

Pop in: Marketing Department, Central Station

Telephone: 028 9089 9448

This magazine is available, upon request, in a range of formats eg, braille, large print or audio tape. Please ring 028 9089 9448

6 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 706 EXPRESSLINES

Translink has recently implemented new and improved ways to access company information, as well as providing a secure web based environment in which employees can store their own and their department’s documents for easy internal use and access.

Karen Newberry, Web Editor, and Siobhan Rafferty, Internal Communications Officer, explain the benefits of the new staff intranet - called Translink Network - while Elaine Topping, Records & Information Manager, tells us about the new Electronic Document and Records Management (EDRM) project.

Our intranet site – Translink Network Karen Newberry explains, “Translink wanted to find ways to improve its internal communications- to make available quickly to all employees, useful information that is more user-friendly and up to date.

“An intranet is a great way to do this, for everyone with access to a computer. It is similar to a website; the main difference is that the content of our intranet is seen only by our employees on a Translink network computer.”

Since going live on 14 January 2010, the Sharepoint home page, Translink Network, now appears automatically when PC users log onto the network.

“The intranet shares information, company-wide. It keeps everyone up to date on the latest

company news and offers easy access to company policies, procedures and job vacancies,” reports Siobhan Rafferty.

“The home page that opens includes news summaries, staff briefings, the Group Chief Executive’s Weekly Message and other important information. It also provides links to other useful company information to include employee schemes, key staff and background etc.”

There is also an applications launcher on the right hand side of the home page. Applications currently available include: Agresso, Timeware, Corgi, Helpdesk and the Internal Phone Book.

“As we all become more at home in the online environment, the plan is to enhance and add to the intranet’s functionality. We continue to ask for user feedback and suggestions and will draw on these in future developments,” Siobhan adds.

Electronic Document and Records Management (EDRM)Elaine Topping reports, “Currently we are encouraging staff in all divisions to move from a paper based records management structure to using the SharePoint web-based central team site document storage now available.

“In December 2010 we will introduce an updated version of Microsoft Sharepoint, known as SharePoint 2010, which will enable Translink to operate a full Electronic Documents and Records Management solution that is approved

by the Public Records Office (NI). This means that we will be able to move from a paper based records management system to a fully electronic system, turning documents into corporate records at the switch of a button.”

Team Sites“Within the Sharepoint environment, each person is part of a specific team site, be it Marketing, Health and Safety, NITHCo, Finance, etc,” comments Elaine.

“A site Administrator has been appointed for each team, to help the team site users, either as content contributors or read only members.

“The Health and Safety unit is currently one of the teams making the most use of the online document storage facility. For example, different members of a team are able to add their contribution to an incident report, using the online draft.

“I would encourage all staff to become familiar this year with the practice of sharing documents electronically across the different areas of our business. In this way, we will be ready to embrace a full, legally compliant EDRM system in December,” urges Elaine.

Translink Network and a new Electronic Document Management System

EXPRESSLINES 07Keeping you connected

6. Keeping You ConnectedRecent developments in accessing company information and storing departmental documents.

12 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 1312 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 13Awards

GoSkills Go for Excellence AwardsNIRailways were presented with ‘Company of the Year’ at the prestigious awards, Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote to the company in recognition of NIRailways success stating “I hope that Translink NIRailways and its employees are very proud of their achievement. Your work is an illustration of what can be achieved by commitment and dedication.”

Picture 1: Sonny Bowyer and Stuart Leathem, the first rail controllers in Great Britain and Ireland to receive an NVQ Level 2 in Rail Traffic Control, demonstrating NIRailways commitment to training and personal development. Sonny also received runner up in the category ‘Achiever of the Year’.

Arts and Business Awards Translink Metro is celebrating having won the National Arts and Business People Development Award for their Customer Service Training programme ‘You are the Difference’, presented at a prestigious awards ceremony in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. These awards celebrate the best examples of commercial and cultural collaborations across the UK. Translink worked with Echelon UK to develop this programme which has resulted in better customer care and improved staff morale.

Picture 2: (l-r) Brendan O’Hare, Metro Driver; Damian Bannon, Metro Service Delivery Manager; Billy Gilpin, Metro Area Manager and Inspector Raymond Burns.

Other awards achieved in 2009 included:• Chartered Institute of Public

Relations (NI) Awards:‘Gold’ for Best Public Sector Campaign.

• Insurance Fraud Awards:‘Winner’ for Public Sector Best Counter Fraud Initiative.

• UK Rail Business of the Year 2008/9.

• National Transport Awards: Improvements to Bus Services Category: ‘Commended’ for Cross Border Service Goldline Express 200.

• FPT NI Awards:Health & Safety Award for Ulsterbus Route Risk Assessment Groups.

• Passenger Transport Management Awards:Passenger Transport Professional Award: Mal McGreevy, General Manager of Rail Services.

Following this success, 2010 got off to a great start with more awards:

Federation of Passenger Transport NI AwardsFPT NI recently held its annual Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Galgorm Manor Hotel. FPT NI is the trade body promoting the use of public transport and represents the provinces leading bus and coach operators. Guests at the event included Edwin Poots, Environment Minister, and national and local government representatives.

Translink collected three awards: Raymond Williamson was awarded ‘Bus Driver of the Year’; Seamus Rice was awarded ‘Coach Driver of the Year’ and for the second year in a row Translink received the Health and Safety Award- this year for the First Use Safety Checks Programme.

Picture 3: (l-r) William Patton, Health, Safety & Environmental Manager; Seamus Rice, Driver; Catherine Mason, Group Chief Executive; Raymond Williamson, Driver, and Frank Clegg, General Manager, Bus Services.

Rail Business AwardsTranslink were awarded Highly Commended in the Rail Marketing Campaign of the Year category for the Summer Tourism Campaign. Developed to promote value for money offers on NIRailways services, promotional tickets for integrated rail and bus travel and targeted publications for the tourism market for the summer period; the campaign succeeded in increasing passenger journey and revenue as well as creating brand awareness within the leisure travel market.

Other successes:

British Sign Language CourseThe first of the TSSA / Translink Learning Project Course Awards were recently presented to staff who completed the British Sign Language (BSL) Course. Mark Wilkinson, Learning Organiser and Project Manager, highlighted the aims of the project: “Staff have the chance to benefit from learning opportunities, for their own progression as well as vocational development. Hopefully other Translink staff will be inspired to take part in future courses.”

Picture 4: Back Row (l-r) Gordon Milligan, Director of Human Resources, Chris McCullough, Alice Kitchen, Mary McCrum, Sharon Mitchell, and Colin Scott. Front Row (l-r) Karen Young, Clare Kelly, Ian Allen, Paula Dane and Mark Wilkinson, Project Manager. Other successful staff were; Jennifer Kissick, Edmund Stewart and John Osborne.

Institute of Customer ServicesPicture 5: Hilton Parr, Customer Services Manager, and Cinty Stubberfield, Contact Centre Manager, receive the Translink, Institute of Customer Services Membership plaque from Shirley McNabney and Sue Cox, ICS representatives. Translink has renewed its membership of the Institute for a further 4 years and is delighted to be able to offer Translink staff the opportunity to work towards professional qualifications in Customer Services. To date some 40 staff have successfully completed the Award and interest is high for the 2010 intake.

2009 was a very successful year for Translink, with the company winning many and varying local and national awards. This is a reflection of the hard work, professionalism and commitment of Translink employees in providing high quality services for our customers. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Awards achieved in 2009 included:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

12. AwardsRound up of the awards success across the company.

News in Brief EXPRESSLINES 11

The Marketing and Ticketing Systems Departments recently organised an employer information session for organisations who are interested in the new TaxSmart scheme. Launched on 1 February, TaxSmart is a salary sacrifi ce scheme which can typically save employees 31% on the cost of their annual bus travel card. Employers can also save money on national insurance contributions. The information session was attended by representatives of 10 large employers including the Belfast Health Trust and Queens University. All representatives expressed their interest in signing up for the scheme and follow-up meetings will take place, further information sessions are also planned for other large employers. Belfast City Council and Allstate were the fi rst two organisations to join the scheme and following these information sessions we expect many other companies to start making savings by signing up over the next few months.

PictureD: (l-r) Sara Lynch and John McCann from Queens University Belfast with Gareth Watson, Ticketing Systems Co-ordinator, and William McGookin, Ticketing Systems Manager.

TaxSmart Update

Anita Magee, a member of the Translink Youth Forum (TYF), updated Expresslines on the work they have done so far. The TYF was set up to give young people a chance to have their say about the public transport issues they feel are important and propose ideas on how to improve services. I decided to join so I could do something positive about any issues I had. We’ve had three meetings so far, where we talked about our own experiences of Translink, discussed how we can involve more young people in the TYF, designed our own logo, raised issues about bullying on buses and put forward ideas on how the Translink website could be improved. It’s been a busy few meetings! So far we’ve been given the opportunity to have our say and propose ideas that we feel would help make Translink better. We also got answers about issues we’ve raised and learnt how Translink actually works. We have had workshops with the DRD and also Biznet who develop the website. Based on suggestions we’ve made, we hope to see improvements that will make using Translink a better experience for Young People. One example is the development of the Translink website, such as making it easier to use on your mobile. Young people are key service users and as a group we should and would like to have our opinions heard and listened to.

Translink Youth Forum update

emphasised the importance of good leadership as part of OS(R)3 2014. A series of exercises facilitated by Forum Interactive followed. The information from the session was combined withthat of the Safety Representatives’ Conference to address the questions above, again producinga signifi cant amount of useful data.

What are the next steps? To analyse the information from both conferences and identify common themes. The strategy will then be drafted and sent out for further consultation. Once agreed, operating divisions will be required to show what their contribution will be. The strategy report will guide all divisions to put together plans to meet the requirements set by the strategy whist exploiting our foundation and maintaining our fi rst core value “Safety”.

I would like to take this opportunity to thankall those involved in the conferences with aspecial thank you to the facilitators who workedextremely hard to compile the information delivered from delegates. OS(R)3 is an ongoing project, there is still a lot of work to do before it can be fi nalized and managers and safety representatives will be involved throughoutthis process.

Translink Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) Strategy

Straight Talking

Granville Lavin, Health Safety & Environment Manager, reports that this year our AnnualSafety Conference took a new shape in terms of structure. “For the fi rst time we made the conscious decision to hold two separate conferences so we could involve as many infl uential people as possible to help shape the 2010 - 2014 SHE strategy.”

What is translink’s SHe Strategy?The foundation of the SHE strategy is OS(R)32014. The Organisation & Staff doing:

• the right things at

• the right time for

• the right reasons

What were the aims of the conferences?To help set a challenging vision for Translink by2014 in terms of safety, health and environment.The information from the Safety Representatives’Conference was used to inform the ManagementConference; with what the safety representativesthought were the key points.

What was achieved? The Safety Representatives’ Conference held in January was opened and closed by Philip O’Neill, Chief Operating Offi cer, and included divisional SHE updates from Clive Bradberry,

Infrastructure Executive; Mal McGreevy, General Manager Rail Services; and Frank Clegg, General Manager Bus Services. The key note speakers at the conference were Jonathan Knox from HSENI and Darren Mitchell from Wrightbus, who both spoke about the roleof a safety representative.

Stephen Humphrey, Corporate Health & SafetyAdvisor, delivered a presentation which lead into a series of workshops asking safety representatives:

• What would you like Translink to look like in 5 years time in terms of health, safety and the environment?

• In order for us to get where we want to bein 5 years time, what do we need to: stop, start and do better?

• During the implementation of a new strategy how would you create change within our culture?

The resulting feedback was encouraging and positive with the some great ideas coming forward to assist the strategy development.

The Management Conference followed in March with NITHC Chairman, Veronica Palmer OBE, providing an introduction that

10 EXPRESSLINES

10. NewsReport on the two recent safety conferences and Translink’s Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) Strategy.

SPRING HIGHLIGHTS

CONTENTS

Mailbox 04

All in a days work 05

Keeping you connected 06-07

News 08

News in Brief 09

Straight Talking 10

News in Brief 11

Awards 12-13

News 14

This time it’s Personal 15

News 16

News in Brief 17

Promotions 18

News in Brief 19

Nature Notes 19

It’s all in the name of charity 20-21

News in Brief 22

Family Life 23

4 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 5All in a days workPhilip Reid, Energy Engineer, York Road Depot

Translink is now using 100% green electricity after recently signing a new £1.24 million energy contract, Expresslines spoke to Energy Engineer Philip Reid to find out how he helps the company reduce its use of energy.

1. How long have you worked for the company and what does your job involve?I’ve worked for Translink for three years now. My job involves providing support to departmental managers in order to maximise energy efficiency, this entails conducting site surveys and audits to identify where potential energy savings could be made and providing ongoing support to managers implementing recommended actions. I produce monthly and quarterly energy reports to senior management and managers detailing energy performance and investigate any problems. I also develop energy awareness campaigns, co-ordinate and deliver energy awareness training and I am responsible for the procurement and management of the accounts with suppliers for water, gas and electricity. I also identify and develop projects with energy saving potential.

2. What special projects have you worked on / been responsible for?One recent special project was the installation of on line automatic electricity meters across all sites. This allows Translink to obtain accurate electricity consumption data, eliminating the problems associated with estimated billing. They also afforded the opportunity to negotiate the most economical tariff with the electricity supplier enabling Translink to reduce total annual electricity costs by 10%.

3. What energy savings have been made with your help?Through a collective effort, Translink’s electricity consumption has reduced by

around 5% and gas consumption by 4% each year for the past three years. Notably, larger sites have reduced energy consumption through good energy management. Examples are: Fortwilliam Train Care Centre reduced annual electricity consumption by 36% since 2006. Gas consumption fell by 42% last year. Falls Depot reduced its annual electricity consumption by 18% since 2007. Central Station reduced its annual electricity consumption by 16% since 2007.

4. What qualifications or skills are particularly helpful to you in your job?You need an engineering background with financial and management skills, and the ability to question current methods. You need to be able to communicate and work well with people on a number of levels.

5. What aspects of your job are most satisfying?Working with people and seeing energy savings delivered.

6. What achievement are you most proud of?Seeing Translink secure 100% green electricity supply, at a competitive price. We signed a £1.24 million contract with energy supplier ESB Independent Energy that will mean we now purchase all metered electricity from 100% renewable sources.

7. What do you find most challenging about your job?New government legislation on carbon emissions and energy management is creating lots of extra work for me.

8. What do you like to do in your time outside work?I am a keen Scuba Diver in my free time.

Mail box04 EXPRESSLINES

Translink NIRailwaysPorter Robert Lightbody’s help commended After a fall on the platform at Bangor Rail Station, Robert Lightbody took me to the office and immediately saw to my bleeding nose and face. Although my husband was with me, he remained with us and took us right to the front of the station where I was collected by car. He telephoned my home the next day, knowing I was going to hospital for x-rays. I am very grateful for such help. I couldn’t have been better treated and Translink is fortunate in having such a member of staff.I Dunne, Bangor

Prompt assistance from Enterprise and Portadown staff I was feeling unwell on the Enterprise and asked one of the dining car staff when we were due to stop, alarmed by my appearance she quickly got me a bottle of water and called the ticket collector. He was extremely helpful and contacted Portadown station for an ambulance then sat withme until we got there. The staff at Portadown were extremely helpful and accompanied me to the ambulance. I would like to thank all the staff involved: Michael Polland, Enterprise Guard; Sarah Magee, Portadown Line Supervisor; Billy Patterson, Jim Wallace and Joe Stewart, Portadown Customer Service Coordinators. They couldn’t have been morehelpful or concerned for my welfare. Their prompt action got me to hospital quickly where I was diagnosed as suffering a heart attack. I successfully underwent an emergency operation and I’m well on the way to recovery. P McCann, Co. Kildare

Pleasant, courteous and helpful staff are a creditI would like to express appreciation for the railway access you gave us for Spotlight. Not only was that access critical for us making a sensible film, making it also turned out to be a pleasure – not least because Translink staff were without exception pleasant, courteous and helpful. They are a real credit to the

organisation. Please pass on specific thanks to Lisa Hamilton-Sturdy and Siobhan Rafferty (Marketing Department). By the way, I thought the trains looked great.C Thornton, BBC Northern Ireland

Inspector Gerry Kennedy goes the extra mileI wish to convey my thanks to Inspector Gerry Kennedy at Central Station for helping my wife and her friend. I planned their journey from Bangor to Londonderry so they could travel without worrying about changing trains etc. Unfortunately the train times had changed and they were in a panic but they spoke to Gerry and he put their worries to rest. He contacted Europa Bus Centre and also made sure they got a train there in time for the bus. My wife and her friend wish to convey heartfelt thanks to him for going ‘the extra mile’ in customer care. I would also like to say thanks, because it’s nice to know there was someone who cared and I didn’t have to worry. Peter Frend, Bangor Bus Driver

Translink UlsterbusThanks for Newry and Crossmaglen staff Thank you to all those involved for your help, effort and support in helping my family and I find my elderly sister who went missing. We are aware that you all went above the call of duty and we aremost grateful. I am happy to tell you that she wasfound safe and well and has now been admitted to hospital where she can be cared for. T Mills, Belfast

Excellent Customer Service from Driver John CurryI just wanted to drop a note of appreciation to the regular Edenderry bus driver who provides consistent and unfailing excellent Customer Service throughout the year in a polite and professional manner. It’s clear he takes great pride in his job and the service to the community he provides. In a small village this service is a lifeline and his cheerfulness, helpfulness and friendliness are qualities much appreciated and a tonic at the start and end of each and every

day. If you have Customer Service Awards he would be my nomination. J Beattie, Edenderry 1st Class service from Driver Paul McGlennonI would like to thank this driver operating the school service from Ardglass to St. Mary’s School for his kindness and thoughtfulness for my daughters’ safety. They have to cross a busy road to get to their bus stop, on this occasion the driver refused to allow them to cross the road alone and assisted them in crossing. I would like to especially commend this driver, but would also like to praise all the drivers operating this route, for their professionalism and courtesy towards my children and other pupils of the school. The service provided is ‘1st Class’. Mr Lennon, Ardglass

Translink MetroGratitude for Driver Arthur Gorman’s honestyPlease pass on my gratitude to one of your drivers for his honesty. I travelled from Belfast city centre on a Ladybrook bus and later realised I had lost my wallet which contained cards and a sum of money. That evening I received a phone call to say my wallet was in the Falls Depot, Driver Arthur Gorman had found it and handed it in. As he was off duty by the time I collected it I couldn’t thank him in person, please let him know how grateful I am.H McCullough, Belfast

Translink Contact CentrePraise for an impressive team I really can’t tell you how much I have been impressed by the service I have received by each and every call handler, right from when your centre was first opened. Your friendliness, your professionalism – how you have the information to hand every time and quickly, and if it’s not your remit you know who to pass me to, without delay. Quite often an organisation may have one or two that shine, but you all do. L Martin, Whitehead

EXPRESSLINES 05

6 EXPRESSLINES06 EXPRESSLINES

Translink has recently implemented new and improved ways to access company information, as well as providing a secure web based environment in which employees can store th eir own and their department’s documents for easy internal use and access.

Karen Newberry, Web Editor, and Siobhan Rafferty, Internal Communications Officer, explain the benefits of the new staff intranet - called Translink Network - while Elaine Topping, Records & Information Manager, tells us about the new Electronic Document and Records Management (EDRM) project.

Our intranet site – Translink Network Karen Newberry explains, “Translink wanted to find ways to improve its internal communications- to make available quickly to all employees, useful information that is more user-friendly and up to date.

“An intranet is a great way to do this, for everyone with access to a computer. It is similar to a website; the main difference is that the content of our intranet is seen only by our employees on a Translink network computer.”

Since going live on 14 January 2010, the Sharepoint home page, Translink Network, now appears automatically when PC users log onto the network.

“The intranet shares information, company-wide. It keeps everyone up to date on the latest

company news and offers easy access to company policies, procedures and job vacancies,” reports Siobhan Rafferty.

“The home page that opens includes news summaries, staff briefings, the Group Chief Executive’s Weekly Message and other important information. It also provides links to other useful company information to include employee schemes, key staff and background etc.”

There is also an applications launcher on the right hand side of the home page. Applications currently available include: Agresso, Timeware, Corgi, Helpdesk and the Internal Phone Book.

“As we all become more at home in the online environment, the plan is to enhance and add to the intranet’s functionality. We continue to ask for user feedback and suggestions and will draw on these in future developments,” Siobhan adds.

Electronic Document and Records Management (EDRM)Elaine Topping reports, “Currently we are encouraging staff in all divisions to move from a paper based records management structure to using the SharePoint web-based central team site document storage now available.

“In December 2010 we will introduce an updated version of Microsoft Sharepoint, known as SharePoint 2010, which will enable Translink to operate a full Electronic Documents and Records Management solution that is approved

by the Public Records Office (NI). This means that we will be able to move from a paper based records management system to a fully electronic system, turning documents into corporate records at the switch of a button.”

Team Sites“Within the Sharepoint environment, each person is part of a specific team site, be it Marketing, Health and Safety, NITHCo, Finance, etc,” comments Elaine.

“A site Administrator has been appointed for each team, to help the team site users, either as content contributors or read only members.

“The Health and Safety unit is currently one of the teams making the most use of the online document storage facility. For example, different members of a team are able to add their contribution to an incident report, using the online draft.

“I would encourage all staff to become familiar this year with the practice of sharing documents electronically across the different areas of our business. In this way, we will be ready to embrace a full, legally compliant EDRM system in December,” urges Elaine.

Translink Network: Intranet and document management project

Keeping you connected EXPRESSLINES 07

Representing an £8.5 million upgrade investment 60 new buses, funded by the Department for Regional Development, will replace older retiring vehicles on the Ulsterbus network. They can carry up to 62 passengers and offer quality, comfort, accessibility and reliability. “This investment marks another milestone in the transformation of bus services in Northern Ireland and demonstrates our commitment to improving bus services to help attract new customers. All 60 vehicles are on schedule to be in operation early 2010 and we are confident that, in conjunction with good value ticket options, these buses will encourage more people to use our services.” Frank commented.

PICTuRED: (l-r) Announcing the rollout of 60 new high capacity Translink Ulsterbus vehicles are Karen Magill, Federation of Passenger Transport, Frank Clegg, General Manager Bus Services, and Mark Nodder, Wright Group.

Translink welcomed new protection for people with disabilities using transport services, announced by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. The Disability Transport Regulations came into force on 25 January and cover trains, buses and coaches, taxis, vehicle rental and breakdown services. They make it unlawful to treat a disabled person less favourably than someone without a disability, for example by offering them a lower standard of service. Catherine Mason, Group Chief Executive, said, “We work closely with a range of organisations including disabled groups in order to better understand the needs of all our customers. Over recent years we have invested heavily in our people, fleet and stations and now our services are more accessible than ever. Moving forward, we will continue to work closely with the Equality Commission and other key disability organisations.”

New Bus Investment New Protection for People with Disabilities

The 2010 Cycle to Work Scheme is currently open for a limited period of time. So if you are a Translink employee this is your chance to get involved. The scheme enables you to get a bike and associated safety equipment completely tax free, which means you could have the use of a new bike and kit (up to the value of £1000) for up to 40% less than the original cost. To get involved simply register your interest by returning the Expression of Interest form to: Cycle to Work Administrator, Milewater Road, or by fax: (028) 9035 4067.

You can obtain a form from your Line Manager or contact Brian Elliott on (028) 9035 4009. Alternatively you can download one from the Intranet.

The closing date for completed quotations is Friday 30 April 2010.

Terms and conditions apply.

Cycle to Work Scheme closing soon

The Milk Cup, one of Europe’s most prestigious International Youth Football Tournaments, takes place in Northern Ireland every year. With the 2010 competition scheduled to take place 26 - 30 July, Expresslines spoke to Inspector David Wallace, Ulsterbus Coleraine, who reports on the preparations in hand to transport the teams and reflects on some of the Milk Cup highlights for him and his colleagues over the years. The Northern Ireland Milk Cup has been taking place each summer since 1983 and now attracts young teams from almost 60 countries around the world. The competition is based at Coleraine, with games also played at Ballymoney, Limavady, Portstewart, Portrush, Castlerock, Ballymena and Broughshane. For the staff at Coleraine, it is an opportunity to showcase their expertise, professionalism and enthusiasm, in meeting and exceeding all the tournament’s transport needs, year after year. Ulsterbus Coleraine has been fortunate and proud to have been asked to provide transport for the competing teams, for most of the 26 years that the Milk Cup has been held. For a number of years, Inspector David Wallace has been the main point of contact

between Ulsterbus and the Tournament’s Transport Coordinator, Bob McClure. “I love the tournament and look forward to it every year; I used to drive the teams before becoming involved in its organisation. We have always handled the tournament’s transport and a great trust has been established between ourselves and the organisers.” David explains that the duties are popular with all the drivers at Coleraine and that drivers from Ballymena provide any additional back up required. “The staff here look forward to it and love the buzz of it,” he reports. Over the years, David confirms that he and his colleagues have met with many of football’s young rising stars. “Some of the biggest clubs in the world have entered the Milk Cup, including Premier League giants Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Everton as well as top European greats such as Barcelona, Sevilla and Bayern Munich. Players who have taken part in the competition and gone on to major honours include David Beckham, Joe Cole, Damien Duff, Wayne Rooney, Peter Crouch and Ryan Giggs to name but a few.” “In fact, one of our own bus drivers at Coleraine, David Edgar, has actually participated in the Milk Cup. He took part when he was

Ulsterbus Coleraine’s important Milk Cup role16 and won the ‘Golden Boot’ when he was named the tournament’s best young player!” David has the transport planning down to a fine art. “Generally I get the initial list of travel requirements a month in advance. That covers the transport required to collect teams from the airports and take them to their hotels, to take everyone to the grand opening parade and to the first series of fixtures. After that, as the results of the matches come through, I get daily updated transport lists. What’s good about the Milk Cup is that every team gets to play right up to the last day of the tournament.” David confirms that the Coleraine drivers all feel a connection with the Milk Cup and with their teams. “We also take the visiting teams on trips and outings if they have free time. The Causeway Coast and Bushmills Distillery is always a very popular tour. But one of the strangest requests we’ve had was to transport big wheelie bins and lots of ice to Portrush Strand where, believe it or not, some team members jumped into bins filled with water and ice to cool down after their runs!”

PICTuRED LEfT: (l-r) Inspector David Wallace; Kirsty Wallace; Harry Redknapp, Tottenham Hotspur Manager; David Ross, Chairman of the Dairy Council; Inspector Robin McAleese; Lee Clark, Huddersfield Town and Victor Leonard, Milk Cup Chairman.

PICTuRED RIGHT: Inspector David Wallace with a group of Milk Cup competitors.

emphasised the importance of good leadership as part of OS(R)3 2014. A series of exercises facilitated by Forum Interactive followed. The information from the session was combined with that of the Safety Representatives’ Conference to address the questions above, again producing a significant amount of useful data.

What are the next steps? To analyse the information from both conferences and identify common themes. The strategy will then be drafted and sent out for further consultation. Once agreed, operating divisions will be required to show what their contribution will be. The strategy report will guide all divisions to put together plans to meet the requirements set by the strategy whist exploiting our foundation and maintaining our first core value “Safety”.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those involved in the conferences with a special thank you to the facilitators who worked extremely hard to compile the information delivered from delegates. OS(R)3 is an ongoing project, there is still a lot of work to do before it can be finalized and managers and safety representatives will be involved throughout this process.

Translink Safety, Health & Environment (SHE) Strategy

Granville Lavin, Health Safety & Environment Manager, reports that this year our Annual Safety Conference took a new shape in terms of structure. “For the first time we made the conscious decision to hold two separate conferences so we could involve as many influential people as possible to help shape the 2010 - 2014 SHE strategy.”

What is Translink’s SHE Strategy?The foundation of the SHE strategy is OS(R)32014. The Organisation & Staff doing:

• the right things at

• the right time for

• the right reasons

What were the aims of the conferences?To help set a challenging vision for Translink by 2014 in terms of safety, health and environment. The information from the Safety Representatives’ Conference was used to inform the Management Conference; with what the safety representatives thought were the key points.

What was achieved? The first conference for Safety Representatives’ was held in January and was opened and closed by Philip O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer, and included divisional SHE updates from

Clive Bradberry, Infrastructure Executive; Mal McGreevy, General Manager Rail Services; and Frank Clegg, General Manager Bus Services. The key note speakers at the conference were Jonathan Knox from HSENI and Darren Mitchell from Wrightbus, who both spoke about the role of a safety representative.

Stephen Humphrey, Corporate Health & Safety Advisor, delivered a presentation which lead into a series of workshops asking safety representatives:

• What would you like Translink to look like in 5 years time in terms of health, safety and the environment?

• In order for us to get where we want to bein 5 years time, what do we need to: stop, start and do better?

• During the implementation of a new strategy how would you create change within our culture?

The resulting feedback was encouraging and positive with the some great ideas coming forward to assist the strategy development.

The Management Conference followed in February with NITHC Chairman, Veronica Palmer OBE, providing an introduction that

The Marketing and Ticketing Systems Departments recently organised employer information sessions for organisations who are interested in the new TaxSmart scheme. Launched on 1 February, TaxSmart is a salary sacrifice scheme which can typically save employees 31% on the cost of their annual bus travel card. Employers can also save money on national insurance contributions. The first information session took place in February and was attended by representatives of 10 large employers including the Belfast Health Trust and Queens University. All representatives expressed their interest in signing up for the scheme and follow-up meetings have taken place. A second information event ran at the beginning of March and further sessions will be organised throughout the year. Belfast City Council and Allstate were the first two organisations to join the scheme and following these information sessions we expect many other companies to start making savings by signing up over the next few months.

PICTuRED: (l-r) Sara Lynch and John McCann from Queens University Belfast with Gareth Watson, Ticketing Systems Co-ordinator, and William McGookin, Ticketing Systems Manager.

TaxSmart Update

Anita Magee, a member of the Translink Youth Forum (TYF), updated Expresslines on the work they have done so far. The TYF was set up to give young people a chance to have their say about public transport issues they feel are important and propose ideas on how to improve services. I decided to join so I could do something positive about any issues I had. We’ve had three meetings so far, where we talked about our own experiences of Translink, discussed how we can involve more young people in the TYF, designed our own logo (pictured above), raised issues about bullying on buses and contributed to the Translink website refresh project. It’s been a busy few meetings! We have been given the opportunity to have our say and propose ideas that we feel would help make Translink better and learnt how Translink actually works. We have had workshops with the DRD and also the Translink web project team. Based on suggestions we’ve made, we hope to see improvements that will make using Translink a better experience for Young People. Young people are key service users and as a group we should and would like to have our opinions heard and listened to.

Translink Youth Forum update

12 EXPRESSLINES EXPRESSLINES 13

GoSkills Go for Excellence AwardsGoSkills is the Sector Skills Council for passenger transport which works with employers to improve the skills that make a difference to the performance of their workforce. NIRailways were presented with ‘Company of the Year’ at the prestigious awards, Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote to the company in recognition of NIRailways success stating “I hope that Translink NIRailways and its employees are very proud of their achievement. Your work is an illustration of what can be achieved by commitment and dedication.”

Arts & aBusiness Awards Translink Metro is celebrating having won the National Arts and Business People Development Award for their Customer Service Training programme ‘You are the Difference’, presented at a prestigious awards ceremony in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. These awards celebrate the best examples of commercial and cultural collaborations across the UK. Translink worked with Echelon UK to develop this programme which has resulted in better customer care and improved staff morale.

Other awards achieved in 2009 included:• Chartered Institute of Public

Relations (NI) Awards:‘Gold’ for Best Public Sector Campaign.

• Insurance Fraud Awards:‘Winner’ for Public Sector Best Counter Fraud Initiative.

• UK Rail Business of the Year 2008/9.

• National Transport Awards: Improvements to Bus Services Category: ‘Commended’ for Cross Border Service Goldline Express 200.

• FPT NI Awards:Health & Safety Award for Ulsterbus Route Risk Assessment Groups.

• Passenger Transport Management Awards:Passenger Transport Professional Award: Mal McGreevy, General Manager of Rail Services.

2009 was a very successful year for Translink, with the company winning many and varying local and national awards. This is a reflection of the hard work, professionalism and commitment of Translink employees in providing high quality services for our customers. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Awards achieved in 2009 included:

GOSKILLS: Sonny Bowyer and Stuart Leathem, the firstrail controllers in Great Britain and Ireland to receive an NVQ Level 2 in Rail Traffic Control, demonstrating NIRailways commitment to training and personal development. Sonny also received runner up in the category ‘Achiever of the Year’.

ARTS & BuSINESS: (l-r) Brendan O’Hare, Metro Driver; Damian Bannon, Metro Service Delivery Manager; Billy Gilpin, Metro Area Manager and Inspector Raymond Burns.

Following this success, 2010 got off to a great start with more awards:

Federation of Passenger Transport NI AwardsFPT NI recently held its annual Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at the Galgorm Manor Hotel. FPT NI is the trade body promoting the use of public transport and represents the provinces leading bus and coach operators. Guests at the event included Edwin Poots, Environment Minister, and national and local government representatives.

Translink collected three awards: Raymond Williamson was awarded ‘Bus Driver of the Year’; Seamus Rice was awarded ‘Coach Driver of the Year’ and for the second year in a row Translink received the Health and Safety Award- this year for the First Use Safety Checks Programme.

Rail Business AwardsTranslink were awarded Highly Commended in the Rail Marketing Campaign of the Year category for the Summer Tourism Campaign. Developed to promote value for money offers on NIRailways services, promotional tickets for integrated rail and bus travel and targeted publications for the tourism market for the summer period; the campaign succeeded in increasing passenger journey and revenue as well as creating brand awareness within the leisure travel market.

Other successes:

British Sign Language CourseThe first of the TSSA / Translink Learning Project Course Awards were recently presented to staff who completed the British Sign Language (BSL) Course. Mark Wilkinson, Learning Organiser and Project Manager, highlighted the aims of the project: “Staff have the chance to benefit from learning opportunities, for their own progression as well as vocational development. Hopefully other Translink staff will be inspired to take part in future courses.”

Institute of Customer ServicesPICTuRED BELOW: Hilton Parr, Customer Services Manager, and Cinty Stubberfield, Contact Centre Manager, receive the Translink, Institute of Customer Services Membership plaque from Shirley McNabney and Sue Cox, ICS representatives. Translink has renewed its membership of the Institute for a further 4 years and is delighted to be able to offer Translink staff the opportunity to work towards professional qualifications in Customer Services. To date some 40 staff have successfully completed the Award and interest is high for the 2010 intake.

fEDERATION Of PASSENGER TRANSPORT: (l-r) William Patton, Health, Safety & Environmental Manager; Seamus Rice, Driver; Catherine Mason, Group Chief Executive; Raymond Williamson, Driver, and Frank Clegg, General Manager, Bus Services.

BRITISH SIGN LANGuAGE: Back Row (l-r) Gordon Milligan, Director of Human Resources, Chris McCullough, Alice Kitchen, Mary McCrum, Sharon Mitchell, and Colin Scott. Front Row (l-r) Karen Young, Clare Kelly, Ian Allen, Paula Dane and Mark Wilkinson, Project Manager. Other successful staff were; Jennifer Kissick, Edmund Stewart and John Osborne.

James McCaffrey, a Translink ulsterbus driver at Enniskillen Buscentre, has a hobby that has seen him become a Champion Indoors Bowls player at local, national and also international levels. Expresslines spoke to James to find out more about his passion for the sport.

When did you first take up bowls and what brought you into the sport?I first started to play about 27 years ago. Both my parents played and they got me interested. They played at St Ronan’s Bowling Club Lisnaskea, which was the club I first joined. In fact my father, who was also an Ulsterbus driver, helped set it up in 1972.

What do you particularly like about the sport? Bowling is a great experience. There’s a lot of friendship in a club, across all ages and with members coming from both sides of our

community. Club members are like a big family. Even during the darkest days of ‘The Troubles’ the club was a great bonding experience and we never had any bother. Club teams compete against one another in many tournaments all over the north and south of Ireland.

Where do you play now?I’ve played for St Michael’s Bowling Club in Enniskillen since 1998.

When did you first taste success in the sport?I was first picked for the Western Zone (basically Fermanagh area) team in the early 1990s. There were (and are) 24 of us on this team. The Western Zone team selectors make their selections for the team each year and people can be moved about, selected or dropped.I’m lucky to have consistently been selected down the years.

In 1995 I was part of the team that reached the All-Ireland final and in 1996 we won the title.

Tell us about some of the regional and national level titles you have won.In 2006, the Western Zone team again won the All-Ireland title. Then in 2007 we went on to compete in The British Isles Teams Tournament that took place in Wales. It was a very exciting weekend. As well as playing for the Western Zone team, I also play every Tuesday evening with my Club and take part regularly in Club league competitions. Every year the biggest tournament for club level players is the Irish National Championship. This event is open to Pairs and Fours (two and four player teams) from clubs throughout Ireland. In 2003 St Michael’s qualified to take part in both Pairs and Fours and won both.

Tell us about your international title wins?Following that double Irish National Championship success, I was lucky enough to be selected to play for the national Ireland team. Every year the International Home Series competition takes place in November. The first year I took part, 2002, Ireland was runner-up. I’m delighted to report that the Ireland team I played for in November 2009 took the title in Wales.

What title has been a particular highlight for you?The double win at the Irish National Championships with my St Michael’s Club team was particularly memorable and a highlight of my bowling career. In 40 years I am one of only five players to have won both titles on the same day!

There might not be any prize money in any of these Bowls Titles, but it’s all great craic!

James McCaffrey BOWLS CHAMPION

The ‘Translink Smart Movers’ scheme is a new initiative aimed at encouraging new home residents to use public transport in their area. It was recently launched for residents of the new Blackrock housing development in Newtownabbey. Householders in the Blackrock development were offered a free Translink Metro Smartlink card for unlimited travel on all Metro bus services for one week. With a frequent Metro bus service along the nearby Hydebank Road, on the Metro 1 corridor, they had the chance to see for themselves how a convenient, value for money bus service can help families live in a more sustainable way. Metro Belfast Area Manager Billy Gilpin said the new initiative is the result of careful

planning with local developers to ensure the transport requirements of residents in new developments are successfully met: “Moving house and settling into a new area can be a stressful time and we want to ease the process by providing attractive services that are accessible to new homes and which help residents get more familiar with their local neighbourhood. A convenient and reliable local bus service is a real asset to any area by helping residents get out and about at their leisure. Whether it’s for getting to work on time or meeting up with friends, using Metro can be a hassle-free way to travel. “We work closely with developers during the planning phase of new build developments across Northern Ireland to ensure that the

Passengers make the smart move

travel needs of future residents will be met. We are pleased to launch this scheme with O’Kane and Devine and hope that, by trialling Metro for one week, residents in the Blackrock development will recognise its benefits and become regular passengers. Moving forward, we aim to roll out this initiative to other new developments and encourage more people to make the smart move by choosing public transport.”

Don Brennan, a resident of Blackrock in Newtownabbey told Expresslines: “Before the bus service started from Blackrock I drove into town for work. Being stuck in traffic on the M2 for up to 45 minutes isn’t a great way to start the day, and paying upwards of £30 per week on parking and £25 in petrol made for a monthly cost of about £220. “Since the new bus service started, I’ve taken the bus every day and have been really impressed by the frequency and comfort of the new fleet. I can sit back, relax put some music on and catch up on emails from my Blackberry. As well as the comfort, the bus lanes on the Antrim road mean that I can be in the city centre in around 25 minutes which is a much faster commute than before. “All in all, it’s a much more relaxing start to the day and I’ve reduced my cost of travel by about 75%. I’d recommend the service to anyone who works in and around the town centre.” The next housing development benefiting from the Smart Movers scheme is Annadale Embankment.

PICTuRED: Blackrock resident Don Brennan with Billy Gilpin, Translink Metro Belfast Area Manager, and Sean O’Kane, Director of O’Kane and Devine Construction Limited.

The ‘5 S’ Housekeeping Project is a powerful improvement process that gets impressive results. Stephen Humphrey, Corporate Health & Safety Advisor, reports: “The aim of the project is to increase product uniformity, raise service delivery quality, lower costs and encourage reliable deliveries of services; while also promoting safety, building customer and staff confidence and promoting corporate growth.”

Overview of the five pillars

• Sort: Distinguish needed items from unneeded; eliminates the latter

• Set: Keep needed items in correct place to allow easy & immediate retrieval

• Shine: Keep the workplace swept and clean

• Standardise: The condition we support when we maintain the first three pillars

• Sustain: Make a habit of maintaining established procedures

“The project is currently being rolled out across many areas of the organisation with the main focus at present being bus engineering garages, main line stations and some areas within Central Station.” Stephen explains.

Benefits to employees

• Gives staff an opportunity to have input into how their workplace should be organised and laid out

• Makes the workplace more pleasant towork in

• Increases job satisfaction

• Removes many obstacles and frustrationsin the workplace

• Helps staff know what they are expected to do and when and where they are expected to do it

• Makes it easier to communicate with everyone you work with

Benefits to TranslinkSignificant financial savings have been seen in the early stages of the project within bus engineering garages, other benefits include:

• Zero confusion reduces searching time and raises efficiency

• Zero defects bring higher quality

• Zero waste brings lower costs

• Zero delays bring reliable services

The ‘5 S’ Housekeeping Project • Zero injuries promote safety

• Zero breakdowns bring better equipment availability

• Zero complaints bring greater confidence and trust

• Zero red ink brings corporate growth

Delivery of the projectTo promote the ‘5 S’ project Stephen has been conducting a series of presentations to staff companywide. During his initial visit he explains each respective pillar and also records his findings in a photographic diary of evidence as a means of measuring performance.

feedback from staff:“This program gives you an opportunity to entirely reorganise the workshop the way you desire it, and is a chance to complete a full spring clean.” Scott Hayes, Depot Engineer (Armagh).

“The programme has been very worthwhile and has already enhanced the safety culture in the depot, and no doubt will continue to do so. The program has also been well received by all staff.” Damian Bannon, Service Delivery Manager (Falls).

PICTuRED: (l) before (r) after.

The Adelaide Freight Crane, a well-known landmark for the area, has been removed in preparation for building of the new Adelaide Train Maintenance Facility. The crane was installed in 1989 and was used to load and unload containers from rail wagons to road going lorries until 2003 when all freight operation ceased. The crane removal was carried out by Thomas Hamill & Sons who used 2 large mobile cranes, one a 350 tonne unit, the other a 200 tonne, to lower the structure to the ground where it was broken up and transported away for scrap, despite efforts to sell on as a working crane. The Adelaide Train Maintenance Facility is an important project within the overall New Trains Two Programme. It will provide all the facilities and equipment needed to maintain a modern fleet of Class 4000 trains on one site. Including; Engineering and workshop facilities, fuelling facilities, a train wash and train stabling facilities. Construction work is planned to commence spring 2010 and due for completion during 2011 in line with the start of the new trains arriving. This new facility will allow us to maintain the new trains to a very high standard in order to continue to provide our customers with a first class travelling experience. It will operate in conjunction with the existing cleaning and maintenance facilities based at York Road and Fortwilliam which are currently operating at or near full capacity.

PICTuRED: Duke Special took the hot-seat on Translink Metro under the watchful eye of Service Delivery Manager, Damien Bannon, as they prepared for Féile an Earraigh in February.

The acclaimed singer-songwriter took part in the ‘Scribes in the West’ literary event sponsored by Translink Metro. Féile an Earraigh, now in its 7th year, featured 50 events across Belfast over four days.

Translink also sponsored the ‘Music on the Metro’ and ‘Black Mountain Walk’ as part of festival.

New Trains Two Update Féile an Earraigh 2010

During the six-month period, June to December 2009, 117 prosecutions against individual offenders were secured in the courts system by Translink’s Secretariat Office. 76 of the prosecutions related to safety offences, including: failure to observe level crossing warning systems, trespassing and assault.

• An incident at Portadown Station involving assault on staff and disorderly behaviour resulted in a six month prison sentence.

• An individual who failed to observe the warning system at Drumbane Level Crossing was ordered to pay £2,354 costs for repairs.

• An individual who failed to observe the warning system at Lurgan’s William Street Level Crossing was ordered to pay £4,332 costs for repairs.

26 of the prosecutions involved ticket / travel offences, including: no valid ticket, using an altered ticket and using an out of date ticket. Other offences concerned abusive, threatening and disorderly behaviour. The total amount recovered, including costs for repairs, came to £24,004.

Prosecutions Update

Connecting good times… With morefantastic fares and discounts than ever!

translink.co.uk

Terms and conditions apply.

for details www.translink.co.uk or call 028 90 66 66 30

Belfast (Gt Victoria St) dep 1015 ret 1707L’Derry dep 0940 ret 1615

Tickets and Boarding Cards MUST be purchased in advance for Easter Monday Family Trains from main stations (from 22 March).

For more details, click www.translink.co.ukor call 028 90 66 66 30

day returnsmonday to thursday

Service 218/219Coleraine, Ballymena,

Antrim to Belfast

Service 238/238ANewry to Belfast

Service 256Larne to Belfast

The popular Metro Fridays campaign is back again running throughout April, May and June. To help people put the fun back into their Fridays, a host of tempting offers are available on production of a Metro ticket; meal deals, free coffees, drinks offers, gym and pampering deals are all available for fun loving Metro customers. Targeted outdoor and bus advertising will promote Metro Fridays along with Citybeat street teams and radio competitions. To encourage travelling with friends, the Metro Friends Smartlink offer will also be available online every Friday during the campaign.

The Translink and Metro Family Day Tickets will be available during the Easter school holidays from 27 March – 11 April. In addition the Easter Family Trains will operate from Belfast and Londonderry to Portrush on Easter Monday.

To stimulate passenger numbers on Goldline services, 1/3 Off Day Returns were available during February and March on Goldline Services 218/219, 238/238A and 256, with outdoor and press advertising promoting the offer.

Rugby fans travelling to Dublin for the Six Nations tournament were able to leave the car at home and enjoy the atmosphere onboard special NIRailways and Ulsterbus services on 6 February, 13 and 20 March. NIRailways is currently working with promoters and event organisers to offer special rail services to forth-coming concerts including Snow Patrol on 5 June and Pink on 16 June.

Metro Fridays

Easter

Metro Friends Promotion

Events & Concerts

Goldline 1/3 Off

New online and discounted fares from stations were introduced on 1 March aiming to stimulate passenger journeys to Dublin. In addition, Enterprise has teamed up with a range of attractions and cafes in Dublin to offer passengers special offers. Partners include Dublin Zoo, Croke Park Experience,

Guinness Storehouse, Bewleys and Butlers Chocolate Café.

To stimulate journeys on key Metro corridors and encourage people to travel together a new value for money offer called ‘Metro Friends’ ran during March on the Antrim, Malone and Falls Roads. 40,000 households received a promotional code through a postcard mailer, which enabled them to go onto the Translink website and buy a Smartlink Card loaded with 5 journeys for just £4 (City Zone) saving £4 compared with 5 cash fares. Targeted outdoor and press advertising also took place.

Terms and Conditions:Offers are available on presentation of a valid Enterprise Rail ticket issued by Translink NI Railways in Northern Ireland. Offers are valid until 31st August 2010. Offers are not available in conjunction with any other offer. Subject to availability. These promotional offers may be withdrawn at any time. Customers should check opening hours of each attraction or café before travel. See partner websites for information on location and onward travel connections from Dublin Connolly Station. Individual attractions and cafes may specify additional terms and conditions. Full details can be viewed at www.translink.co.uk/dublinoffers

BuTlers ChoColaTe Café A must for all chocoholics! From raspberry truffles to decadent hot chocolate, join self-proclaimed purveyors of happiness for a moment of pure indulgence.

10% off all purChases www.butlerschocolates.com

31 Henry Street, Dublin 151a Grafton Street, Dublin 29 Chatham Street, Dublin 24 Lower Liffey Street, Dublin 218 Nassau Street, Dublin 224 Wicklow Street, Dublin 2

KylemoreEnjoy a tasty break! From light bites to mouth-watering meals, there’s always something tempting on the menu at Kylemore.

7 iTem all-Day BreaKfasT, for the price of 4 items. free pasTry wiTh any hoT meal.www.kylemore.ie

O’Connell Street, Dublin 1St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre, Dublin 2Pavilion Shopping Centre, Swords, Dublin 2Liffey Valley Shopping Centre, Dublin 22Swan Centre Rathmines, Dublin 6

speCial offers aT aTTraCTions anD Cafés

Offers available until 31st August 2010

New Enterprise Promotions

Promoting good practice for biodiversityAs part of Translink’s biodiversity project, the latest in a series of Environmental Information Sheets has been produced, this time on Hedgerows. The guide provides the essential information required for practical establishment and management of hedgerows not only as an effective boundary, but in optimizing its potential as an extremely valuable habitat for wildlife. The publication of this leaflet coincides with a very successful hedgerow training session held on 11 January. The event was well-attended by a number of Project Engineers / Managers and Permanent Way staff. There are now six Environmental Information Sheets available for consultation and guidance; intended as useful points of reference for staff who are involved in the planning and delivery of practical projects where, for example, project work may impact on one of the habitats or species covered. They are available to staff on Sharepoint, and more recently on the Translink website, making them accessible to contractors, consultants and members of the public: www.translink.co.uk/biodiversityenvinfosheets.asp

PICTuRED: Track-side hedgerow near the estuary of the Lower Bann River

The Wildlife and Natural Environment BillNew legislation designed to protect, conserve and enhance Northern Ireland’s biodiversity is on track to become law in the Spring of 2010. The bill will amend existing legislation, The Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985, with a range of new provisions for biodiversity. It will be a key tool in assisting Northern Ireland in achieving our target of halting biodiversity loss. A key element of the bill will be a new duty on government departments and other agencies to further the conservation of biodiversity and embrace nature conservation when carrying out their daily tasks.

Biodiversity very simply is the variety of life on the planet

Due to the success of the first Rail Nights Out Campaign in September and October 2009, it was decided to introduce a second campaign this Spring-time. The promotion will encourage people to travel in the evenings by promoting the existing 1/3 off day returns offer. In addition, NIRailways has teamed up with restaurants, cinemas and festivals to provide special offers for passengers. These offers are also available to Translink employees so why not catch the train and treat yourself to a rail night out!

Restaurants include:The Edge, Belfast CentralMalmaison, Belfast CentralBo Tree Thai, Belfast BotanicThe Platform, HolywoodFifty Two, BangorBokhara, BangorWolseys, BangorThe Tap Room, HildenThe Tannery, MoiraPalomos, LurganZio, PortadownAdelphi, PortrushRamada Hotel, PortrushJoymount Arms, CarrickfergusGourmet Burger Bank, Sydenham

Cinemas include: QFT and The Strand.

Event partners include: The Belfast Film Festival and The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival. The campaign will run until 31 May with advertising and marketing activity including outdoor, press, radio, posters, leaflets, website and PR.

NIRailways Household MailingHouseholds close to train stations recently received a mailing from Translink NIRailways which included a local timetable, a 50% off voucher and a flyer promoting the latest Rail Nights Out Campaign. Over 200,000 addresses have been targeted along the Portadown, Bangor, Larne and Derry lines to encourage people to take the train for their work commute or leisure time.

evening returns

a better way to get there

railnightsoutPlus — special offers atparticipating restaurants,cinemas and entertainmentvenues too!

www.translink.co.uk

Valid: 1 march - 31 may 2010

Terms and conditions apply

Rail Nights Out

Charity Building Project

A group of Translink Metro employees recently embarked on a charity building project in South Africa. The team of 10 Metro employees travelled to Cape Town to participate in the construction of four new classrooms for St Michael’s Primary School, which will double the schools capacity. Speaking about the project, Metro drivers Paul McKenna and Joe O’Reilly said: “We are delighted to be able to support the school, which provides much needed educational facilities to the local community. We hope that these additional classrooms will help the school to educate even more children from the local community. “We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has kindly donated and helped raise funds for the project and to Translink for all their support. In total we raised £40,500” Thanks also go to JBS, Translink’s shoe supplier, who kindly donated boots for the trip.

PICTuRED: Translink Metro employees with Billy Gilpin, Metro Area Manager, before they left for their charity building project in South Africa.

As a large employer and service provider, we have daily contact with communities throughout Northern Ireland. We believe it is important to take responsibility for the impact our activities have on customers, employees, communities and the environment. Translink corporately supports many worthwhile causes, helping them achieve their goals through both in-kind and financial assistance. In addition we recognise the huge contributionmade by many of our employees who take part in fundraising activities.

In particular much is done to support the local community. Recent sponsorships have included:

• NI Hospice Walks

• Ulster Cancer Foundation

• NI Cancer Care for Children

• Marie Curie

In order to consolidate our sponsorship activities we are planning to select a Charity of the Year. We have discussed this idea with a number of charities and they very much welcome this approach. It allows us to work more closely with them meaning more impact with better fundraising results. This is a win-win situation as it also allows Translink to get more public recognition for the charitable work we do.

Many of our employees already do a lot of great work, raising money for both local and overseas charities. We will still support employees through the Translink Community Partnership and RailRoad schemes on an individual basis, however, we would hope to encourage people to get behind the company’s chosen Charity of the Year in terms of supporting key events or when arranging fundraising activities.

Once our charity is selected we will work closely with them and see how we can best work together to develop an innovative and exciting sponsorship programme which will appeal to employees and help to raise necessary funds. We would propose to change the charity we support over time in order to ensure that as many organisations as possible can benefit from our support.

Get involved: We want our employees to help appoint Translink’s Charity of the Year. This should be a worthwhile and reputable cause that benefits the community within Northern Ireland. If you have any suggestions please email the charity name and a short paragraph detailing why you feel it should be considered along with your contact details to: ursula.kelleher@translink.co.uk orsiobhan.rafferty@translink.co.uk

Deadline for suggestions is friday 30 May.

Nominations will be short-listed by representatives from the Translink Community Partnership Board and Railroad Committees. Short-listed charities will be asked to make short presentations as to why their charity should be selected and what they can contribute to the sponsorship. The selected Charity of the Year will be announced in September.

We look forward to hearing your suggestions and will keep you informed of progress in the next edition of Expresslines.

Help choose Translink’s Charity of the Year

Northern Ireland Hospice Big Walk Week

Translink will once again be supporting the Northern Ireland Hospice Big Walk Week, 17 - 24 April. There are 12 scenic walks taking place across Northern Ireland and are suitable for all abilities. On selected walks there will also be music, entertainment and food at the finish line.

Click www.nihospice.org to register or call 028 9077 7123 for further information.

RailRoad, your staff charity, donated £10,487 to a number of local charities during April 09 - March 10. The following are just some of the charities that benefited from your help: Barnardo’s NI: £1200, Age Concern Help the Aged: £1000, Latin Link: £1500, Assisi Animal Sanctuary: £1000, Help for Heroes: £2000. For further information on the RailRoad Charity or, if you are interested in joining the GAYE scheme contact Heather Grant, RailRoad Secretary, Central Station, Tel: 9089 9400 or email: heather.grant@translink.co.uk

PICTuRED: The draw for the annual RailRoad Christmas Ballot was held in December with a total of £1,269 raised for the RailRoad staff charity funds. RailRoad Chairman Norman Maynes oversaw proceedings with Clive Bradbury, Infrastructure Executive, facilitating.

RailRoad Charity

The TCP Scheme has had another busy year and match funded a total of £30,000 as a result of our employees’ impressive fundraising efforts; who together raised an amazing £56,268. So if you are participating in an event to raise funds for your chosen charity or community group don’t forget about the TCP scheme; it may be able to match the funds you have raised (up to a maximum of £1000). The following are just a few of the charities that benefited from TCP April 09 - March 10. NI Kidney Research Fund Ltd: £1000, Action for Children NI: £500, Aware Defeat Depression: £1000, Down’s Syndrome Association: £995, Meningitis Research Foundation: £815.

For further information contact Heather Grant, TCP Secretary, Central Station, Tel: 028 9089 9400 or email: heather.grant@translink.co.uk

PICTuRED LEfT: Kells & Connor Cougars want to say a big thank you to the TCP. Nigel Hoey, Ballymena Depot and Karen Hoey, Laganside Buscentre, are involved with Kells & Connor Community Improvement Association and due to the lack of youth groups in this rural area they set up a new football training club for boys. The Cougars held a fundraising beetle drive and raised £375 for the Club and received a cheque for £187 from the TCP; which will help pay for much needed training equipment.

PICTuRED RIGHT: (l-r) Robert Butler, TCP Board, presenting a cheque for £570 to Margaret Burns and Dr Tom McGinley of the Foyle Hospice.

Billy Telford Memorial Fundraising Two cheques for £5,000 were recently presented by Billy Telford’s children Chris and Julie, on behalf of Billy’s Translink colleagues who raised funds for Ward 32 Altnagelvin Hospital and Foyle Hospice.

PICTuRED: (l-r) Cinty Stubberfield, TCP Board; Chris Telford; Sister Logue, Ward 32; Robert Butler, TCP Board, and Julie McVeigh.

Translink Community Partnership (TCP)

Belfast Fashion Week

Pictured: Translink Metro was once again delighted to support this year’s West Coast Cooler Belfast FASHIONWEEK, from March 9 - 14. Translink Metro Inspector Alan Smart and Model Lucy Evangelista showed us how Metro buses were right on trend, with pink the must-have colour for local fashionistas. Metro passengers and staff were able to enjoy a 10% discount on all show tickets on presentation of a valid Metro ticket, receipt or pass, and passengers who wore pink onboard Metro during Belfast FASHIONWEEK could also win Smartlink travelcards or show tickets.

Translink passengers and employees recently took advantage of a free running analysis session in the Europa Buscentre. OrganisedbyTranslink,officialtransportpartneroftheDeepRiverRock Belfast City Marathon, in conjunction with sponsors Up andRunningandNewBalance;thein-stationfitnesssessionsuseda state-of-the-art gait analysis technique to monitor and improve individual walking and running patterns. Expert running and training advice was also provided. Bus and train passengers are being encouraged to take part in the marathononBankHolidayMonday3Mayandgetfitterandhealthierin 2010. Anyone interested in entering the marathon race, team relay or walk should click www.translink.co.uk/belfastcitymarathon2010.asp for further information. Translink employees will receive a special entry discount;pleasecontactUrsulaKelleher,MarketingDepartment,foraform. Entry deadline is 16 April.

Put your best foot forward Births Wedding

Graduation

Gerry MullanCongratulations to Gerry Mullan, Newtownabbey ServiceDeliveryManager, and his wife Kim Bailie who were married on 30 October at Malone House.

Gerard MullanCongratulations to Gerard Mullan who successfully graduated in Law from Queens University Belfast. Gerard has been working as a Night Shift Cleaner atNewtownabbeyDepotthroughout his studies.

Fintan John MartinCongratulations to Rose Cremin, Biodiversity Officer,andherpartnerMalachy on the birth of Fintan John, born 17 February weighing 7lb 3oz.

Lauren Lowey Congratulations to Kieran Lowey, NewcastleDriver,andhis wife Sheena on the birth of Lauren, a little sister to Kieran age 6. Lauren was born 21 October weighing 6lb 11oz.

IBIS HOTELSWIN A MIDWEEK BREAK fOR TWO IN BELfAST’S QuEEN AND KING Of BuDGET HOTELSTo celebrate the arrival of two of Belfast’s most exciting budget hotels:

Ibis Belfast City CentreIn the heart of the city’s bustling shopping and entertainment hub on King Street.

Ibis Belfast Queen’s Quarter Located on the leafy University Street, next to Queen’s University.

IBIS Hotels have 3 complimentary midweek breaks to give away - just in time for the Spring break and party season!

You and a guest will enjoy unrivalled doorstep access to the City; perfect for enjoying all that Belfast has to offer, including the fantastic shopping hubs and nightclub hotspots. You will also enjoy the hotel’s WiFi access throughout, contemporary café bar and restaurant, 24 hour snack menu and breakfast served from 4am to 12noon - perfect for early or late risers!

For a chance to win one of these fantastic midweek breaks simply answer the question below and send you completed entry to:

Expresslines IBIS Competition, Marketing Production, Central Station, Belfast BT1 3PB or email your entry to elaine.mccurdy@translink.co.uk

Question: Where are the new Ibis hotels in Belfast located?

Answer

Name

Staff Number

Address

Telephone

Closing Date: Friday 16 April 2010 Terms & Conditions: Overnight stays are for two people sharing, prize includes 2 night accommodation in either IBIS Belfast City Centre or Queens Quarter including breakfast, available Sunday to Thursday until 31 May 2010. No cash alternative. Over 18’s only. Bookings subject to availability.

Don’t worry if you’re not a winner, rooms are available from only £38.50 and can be booked on www.ibishotel.com or by calling 028 9089 1891.