AS STATION manager, Simon Greenfield is responsible for the safe travel of hundreds of trains each day.

He says that keeping Brighton Station running smoothly can be unpredictable but it’s a job that he loves.

The 39-year-old said: “No two days are the same, you couldn’t say what will definitely happen because it’s always changing.

“I love my job, I like looking after people. When you come in and talk to people they can have issues, and to be in a position where you can help customers and staff is great.”

Simon is one of five station managers based at Brighton, and he has his partner, Jenni, to thank for his current job role.

He said: “Before I was here I was a deputy store manager at a supermarket. I did that for 12 years, but when I opened a new store I realised I had had enough of it.

“My oldest daughter, Robyn, had just been born and I was working 12-hour days. I thought, ‘I’ll never see my daughter if I stay here.”

“My other half found me a job with Southern, so I applied and haven’t looked back.”

Challenges

He worked as the station manager in Eastbourne before moving to Brighton.

Now, he lives in Bexhill with his two daughters, Robyn, four, and Olivia, seven.

Simon said one of the biggest challenges of working in the city was preparing for the many large events it hosted.

He said: “One of the biggest things for us is major events, as Brighton has so much going on – Lewes Bonfire, the London to Brighton Cycle Road and Brighton Pride.

“These take loads of planning. We put together a pack looking at things like how to build the queueing system to make sure everything keeps moving.

“The summer was quite an eye-opening experience for me as well.

Just seeing how busy it was on a weekend, especially on a hot day when the World Cup was on.”

He said the city’s football club’s Premier League status had increased the number of passengers, particular on the day of a derby match.

Simon said: “We take about 11,000 people on the train to every Albion home game.

“For the Palace game we will have an extra manager here as well as extra rail enforcement officers, and obviously there are a lot more police as well.

“I think there were as many Sussex Police officers as there were Palace fans last time they played.

“We are responsible for that event and you have to be ready to make quick decisions to keep the flow going and keep people safe.

Simon made it clear that this was a crucial part of the job.

He said: “Safety is always paramount for us as the railway can be a dangerous environment if it’s used in the wrong way.”

Standard

Simon also said there were regular meetings between management and staff, as well as inspections, to make sure all aspects of the station were up to standard.

It was built in 1840, initially connecting Brighton to Shoreham, and was listed as Grade II* in 1973.

It is one of the busiest stations in the country.

The manager was full of praise for his fellow members of staff at the station.

Simon said: “I have got a great team here.

“I never get up in the morning and don’t want to come here.

“The management team have spent a lot of time building up morale and making sure our staff are happy because, at the end of the day, they are what really matters, so that’s the most important part of my job.

“Most days I will go downstairs, put a high vis jacket on and spend the peak hours between 7am and 9.30am on the platform

making sure everything is going smoothly and talking to staff about how they are feeling.”

Simon said that being able to make a difference to people’s lives was a part of the job he really enjoyed.

He said: “I had one member of staff who really wanted to see his son in a boxing match but he had not been able to get the time off.

“So, I had a look and moved some things around so he could go.

“For me, that’s one of the best things about this job.”