Delayed trains, broken lifts, missed connections – there are many reasons that can make travelling a challenge. Railway employees often go above and beyond in their job to support passengers even in difficult situations. Last Wednesday, 29 May, the Pro-Rail Alliance honoured particularly outstanding commitment at a gala ceremony in Potsdam. This was the 14th time that railwaymen and women with heart were honoured there.
The managing director of the non-profit transport alliance, Dirk Flege, who is also a member of the jury, is delighted about the many great stories: ‘This year, we had more than 150 suggestions from passengers from all over Germany who, following a positive experience, suggested train attendants, train drivers or service staff, among others, as railway workers with a heart. This shows how hard the staff work. Especially on very stressful working days, our winners gave their all and gave their all for their passengers with heart, brains and commitment. They deserve praise and recognition.’
GOLD and the public’s favourite: Anja Szeglat from DB Fernverkehr Hamburg
Train conductor Anja Szeglat had such an unconventional idea that she became the first winner in the history of the competition to be honoured in both the Audience Favourite and Gold categories.
The day had started badly for Anja Szeglat. Her beloved hangover had died in the morning. On the way to work, she accidentally sat down in a puddle of beer while wearing her uniform. And after starting work, it turned out that there were not enough staff for the journey from Munich to Hamburg due to illness. In the middle of the journey, Anja Szeglat suddenly found herself as the only train attendant for 13 carriages. As train manager, she is responsible for passenger safety. She thinks about the service regulations and sees the following options: Simply continuing the journey seems irresponsible to her, as does letting the train end in Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe.
But finally Anja Szeglat has an idea: what if she could simply shrink her train to the permitted number of carriages? With a few friendly announcements, she keeps the passengers informed and manages to get the travellers to leave their fixed seats without grumbling and meet in the middle of the train. This allows her to close some of the now empty carriages and the train arrives at its destination after a slight delay. The passengers are delighted and applaud, the train manager is moved to tears and relieved.
SILVER: Thomas Böhm, Bayerische Regiobahn (Transdev)
Train conductor Thomas Böhm is at the end of a long shift when a father and his son approach him on the platform in Kufstein (Austria). They have missed their train to Munich after a track change. However, there is no next train this late in the evening and they are threatened with an overnight stay at the station.
Thomas Böhm doesn’t think twice. He offers to take the father and his underage son to Munich in his private car – even though this means a diversion of no less than 300 kilometres for him. The two passengers are speechless when the train conductor drops them off at Munich Central Station at around 3.45 a.m. and they immediately catch the first train to Hanover. Thomas Böhm doesn’t get home until around 5.30 a.m. – tired but happy; and with the good feeling that he was able to help two people.
SILVER: Gerd Müller, DB Regio Mitte
A broken lift at the railway station in Bensheim in southern Hesse turns Gerd Müller’s working day upside down. A small group of travellers wanted to take the train back to Frankfurt from Bensheim after an excursion together. But because of the broken lift, the group has to split up on the way home: Half of the group, who rely on wheelchairs, have no chance of getting to their train to Frankfurt because of the broken lift. They stay behind in Bensheim with a carer. The group is pretty desperate.
The other half of the group, which is mobile and has made it onto the train to Frankfurt, asks train conductor Gerd Müller for help. He pulls out all the stops and becomes something of a telephone exchange from the moving train: he takes it in turns to speak to the transport manager and keeps both halves of the group up to date. Finally, he manages to get the next train to Frankfurt in Bensheim diverted to a track with a functioning lift so that the wheelchair users can board.
The stranded group is hugely relieved. After work, Gerd Müller calls the tour group’s supervisor again to check that everything has really worked out. And yes, it really did. The supervisor is so grateful that he proposes Gerd Müller as a railwayman with a heart shortly afterwards.
The regional winners in the Federal states
In the state winners category, the following employees are honoured for special achievements in their state:
- Baden-Württemberg: Mariama Jauernig, GoAhead Baden-Württemberg
- Bavaria: Julien Schneider, Bayerische Regiobahn
- Berlin: Kathleen Jurack, ODEG
- Hamburg: Mathias Plös, DB Fernverkehr
- Hessen: Birgitta Bub, Hessische Landesbahn
- Nordrhein-Westfalen: Alexander Rezek, DB Fernverkehr
- Rhineland-Palatinate: Gabriele Mischler, vlexx
- Saxonia: Jörg Birkenbusch, Die Länderbahn
So funktioniert der Wettbewerb
The Railwayman with a Heart competition consists of two parts. Firstly, passengers can choose their favourite story via an online vote open to all. The winner receives the prize in the public’s favourite category.
In addition, a jury of seven experts from the railway industry selects the candidates for the gold, silver and bronze awards. This year, exceptionally, there is no bronze award because of the two silver stories, which the jury considered to be of equal value.
Rail travellers can submit their travel stories to the Pro-Rail Alliance all year round.
31.05.2024
