01.11.06
Trio of triumphs for Tube Lines
Tube Lines, the company charged with bringing the busiest lines on the London Underground up to speed, has scooped three awards in the space of 14 days.
The first accolade, the 2006 Asset Management Award from the Institute of Engineering and Technology, recognises the imaginative transformation of Tube Lines’ escalator renewal strategy. In modifying its strategy, Tube Lines changed the way it assessed the condition of escalators and used that to model the cost-versus-risk and residual life of each escalator and every component. The company then identified improvements in maintenance and upgrade processes which will cost-effectively offer enhanced reliability and lifespan. At the same time, it reduced the length of time taken to refurbish an escalator from 26 weeks to nine.
Since submitting an award entry, the enhanced techniques which attracted the judges’ attention have delivered further improvements. Tube Lines has broken its own records for escalator works by refurbishing machines at Colliers Wood and Green Park in just eight weeks.
Tube Lines also won a Greater London Regional Training Award for demonstrating outstanding training achievement. It needed to change culturally in order to meet stretching contractual targets and ensure it works in an economic and efficient manner. Working with Innermost Consulting, Tube Lines created a training programme for managers to help them develop as leaders and drive through a new approach to managing assets on the London Underground. As well as contributing to a 21% increase in satisfaction with leadership at Tube Lines and a 19% improvement in job satisfaction, the methods and approaches covered in the training are successfully changing the way people work and contributed to the escalator improvements for which the Institute of Engineering and Technology recognised Tube Lines.
The hat trick in wins was achieved by Tube Lines’ Communications team, which won silver awards from the Federation of European Business Communicators' Associations this weekend. Tube Lines’ 2006 Employee Review and internal magazine platform were judged to be the best UK examples and shone amongst 198 entries from 28 countries to win recognition in the annual reports and photography classes.
Terry Morgan, chief executive of Tube Lines, said:
“Thanks to efforts around the business to drive change, people at Tube Lines are embracing the challenges our three lines pose and finding better ways of improving performance and reliability. We welcome the recognition of these three awards but our greatest priority is to keep improving so that Londoners who use the Tube and travel on our lines daily can enjoy quick, dependable services. We want to reassure them that these recent successes mark one step on a long road of improvements.”
Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at [email protected]