Published on: Thursday, 25 October 2012
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Ilford-based John Coates has trumped the competition to win a national rail industry award.
Essex rail engineer, John Coates, has won the national Depot Staff of the Year prize at the RailStaff Awards 2012, held recently in Birmingham.
John has recently retired, before which he worked for Greater Anglia and he was based at Ilford Train Maintenance Depot for many years.
The RailStaff Awards is an annual industry wide event recognising the hard work, courage and professionalism of the men and women who deliver Britain’s railway every day, round the clock.
John Coates, who lives in Romford, joined the rail industry in 1962 as a teenage apprentice coppersmith and worked his way up to maintenance manager responsible for the depot. He has over 50 years of experience in the rail industry, almost all of which was spent at Ilford.
Jason Carey, Greater Anglia’s Fleet Manager said: “I’d like to congratulate John on receiving this award. The Railstaff awards are always hotly contested and for John to receive this award is a great achievement. With over 50 years of rail industry experience under his belt, I can think of no one more deserving. John has done a great deal to serve the railway in Essex and beyond.”
Greater Anglia’s Ilford Depot team maintains the train operator’s fleet of Class 379, 317, 321 and 360 electric trains, which operate from London Liverpool Street station to destinations across the East of England including Cambridge, Stansted Airport, Shenfield, Southend Victoria and the Great Eastern mainline. John’s work as Depot Maintenance Manager has been crucial in supporting the Greater Anglia fleet team in their work to help provide over 1,900 train services a day.