Railway workers underrated in public importance reveals new survey

New findings* released by Network Rail reveal railway professionals are underrated in public importance compared to other key workers in Britain. The results come as Network Rail launches a new campaign today (Thursday 12 September) called ‘Hidden Heroes’ – highlighting the vital work its employees do to keep the railway running, with a total of 1.61 billion journeys made by rail passengers in Great Britain in the latest year alone (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024).**

In the public survey, more than half of respondents (56%) understandably ranked health/social care workers as the number one most important key worker. Out of the nine available options, rail professionals were rated as most important by 3% of respondents.

With nearly half of respondents (42%) admitting to little or no understanding of rail workers’ responsibilities, Hidden Heroes challenges perceptions around what it means to work in the rail industry - from mobile operations managers safely removing fallen trees on tracks to prevent train delays, to community safety managers teaching children to make smart decisions around the railway.

To mark the launch of Hidden Heroes, Network Rail is teaming up with talented artists to capture Network Rail colleagues on canvas. Wendy Barratt (Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Winner 2023), Duncan Shoosmith (Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Winner 2019) and Sara Reeve (Sky Arts Portrait Artist of the Year Semi-finalist 2023) will paint a selection of unsung heroes - chosen for the extraordinary care they put into their work - in a live pop-up artist studio in London Waterloo station today (Thursday 12 September).

The finished portraits will be displayed to the public in 2025 as part of Railway 200 - a year-long nationwide partnership-led programme to celebrate 200 years of the modern railway and inspire a new generation of young pioneering talent to choose a career in rail.

Wendy Barratt, Portrait Artist of the Year Winner 2023, said: “I was really pleased to be asked be involved in this project and find the idea of painting the portrait of a 'hidden hero' a really interesting concept, especially in these days of celebrity. I much prefer the stories behind the scenes, painting portraits of ordinary people who do extraordinary things - or things that we just take for granted but are key to the running of our everyday life.”

Anita Bradfield, mobile operations manager, Network Rail, is one of the heroes being brought to life on canvas.

Anita said: “I’m really proud to support this campaign. As a mobile operations manager no two shifts are the same. I’m reacting to whatever the day throws at me, from fallen trees on the line, to incidents like vehicles crashing into bridges. I love my job, it comes with serious responsibilities and it’s a huge privilege helping to keep passengers safely on the move.”  

 
The launch of Hidden Heroes follows the recent announcement of Network Rail’s five-year £45.4bn*** rail improvement plan aimed at delivering a simpler, better, greener railway, with train service performance a key priority. 

Working closely with industry partners, Network Rail’s focus on improving train performance includes:

Reducing the impact of external factors, including weather impact, fatalities, trespass and vandalism – one of the biggest causes of delays – by harnessing new technology
Reducing infrastructure failures with over 5,000 kms of track being targeted for replacement or heavy maintenance as well as over 3,000 sets of points (rail that moves enabling trains to switch tracks) and heavy investment in new signalling
Building the capability of the workforce with investment in training and new technology to improve decision making and cross-industry working
Improving timetables to remove bottlenecks, conflicts and unrealistic timings at and between stations
Faster recovery from incidents so fewer trains and customers are delayed when things happen
Andrew Haines, chief executive, Network Rail, said: “Seeing first-hand the vitally important work staff do on the railway, connecting people with friends and family and helping to support economic growth, instils an immense sense of personal pride.

“Our priority is to deliver a reliable railway that people can trust to get them where they need to be. I hope this campaign helps to inform the public of the essential role our people play in delivering this mission.”

For more information, please visit www.networkrail.co.uk/hidden-heroes

ENDS

Notes to Editors
*The research was conducted by Savanta in April 2024 with a total sample size of 2,000+ GB adults (18+)
Q (Rank 1) Which of the following groups of key workers, if any, do you think are most important to the UK:

- Health/social care, ranked 1 by 56% of respondents

- Police, ranked 1 by 12% of respondents

- Food production, supply or sale, ranked 1 by 8% of respondents

- Education, ranked 1 by 7% of respondents

- Military, ranked 1 by 6% of respondents

- Fire and rescue, ranked 1 by 6% of respondents

- Rail, ranked 1 by 3% of respondents

- Waste collection or disposal, ranked 1 by 2% of respondents

- Postal or courier service, ranked 1 by fewer than 1% of respondents

**Passenger rail usage, Office of Rail and Road, https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/passenger-rail-usage/
***£45.4bn is in cash prices (£40.6 in England and Wales, funded by the Department for Transport, and £4.8bn in Scotland, funded by Transport Scotland) – with this funding covering the five-year period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2029.
For more information about Railway 200 visit www.railway200.co.uk
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