Bosses get stuck in to station clean-up

Twelve staff members from the rail company which took over from Connex earlier this year, will be rolled up their sleeves at the station to do their own DIY clean up.

The decorating dozen includes duty station manager Gary Dell, station manager Adam Phayer and commercial manager for the coastway service Joe O Meara, who is based in Brighton.

Both public and staff areas, including platforms and station buildings will be given a deep clean.

"We will be on site to give the station a good clean-up, washing down and painting where we can to make the station look a little more attractive," said Mr Dell.

He said this was in direct response to the article in last week s Observer when MP Gregory Barker accused the Government of "short-changing" railway users in Bexhill.

Mr Barker, MP for Bexhill and Battle, called for a Commons debate to bring ministers to account for delays in refurbishing the delapidated station.

He said as winter approached passengers still had no waiting rooms or toilets. Wind whistled through broken glass and there were no train indicator boards.

South Central and Railtrack are currently negotiating start dates and costs for the next phase of the work to replace windows and refurbish waiting rooms.

The completion of the refurbishment looked as though it had hit the buffers when Minister Stephen Buyers pulled the plug on Railtrack two weeks ago.

Meanwhile the South Central task force will be picking up mops and power showers, before getting stuck into a heavy cleaning session at the station.

"We are managers," said Mr Dell, "but are responding to the needs expressed in last week s article. We want to do our bit to make the station look and feel better."

Marsid Greenidge, media relations manager for South Central, said managers were getting out and back to the 'shop floor to show passengers the company was committed to tidying it up.

"It is all part of a new team building initiative, which gives managers the opportunity to experience the daily routine of frontline staff."

Mr O Meara said: "We see this as a chance to build better working environment where managers will get first hand experience of the daily frustrations faced by staff.

"With this practical knowledge we can start to implement constructive changes for staff and attempt to make their working day more productive and happier."

r Mr Barker will have a private meeting with Mr O Meara at Bexhill Station today to discuss exactly who needs to do what between Railtrack and South Central to complete work on the station.