Greater Anglia has today (2 September) launched series two of its Life on Rails podcast with Michael Portillo featuring as the special guest in episode one. Presented by Lucy Wright and Dominic Rosso from the company’s Corporate Affairs team, the Life on Rails podcast gives passengers a peek behind the curtain of one of the largest train operators in the country. Across this brand-new series of the magazine-style podcast, Life on Rails will welcome a wide variety of special guests who will share their incredible stories. Greater Anglia employees who are at the heart of operations will also explain how they have helped make Greater Anglia the most punctual and reliable train operator in the UK. There will also be special features that will showcase how Greater Anglia is working tirelessly to give its passengers better journeys. Guests include fleet and operations colleagues who will be discussing how the new fleet of trains have helped to transform rail travel across East Anglia. Later in the series, senior leaders from the Greater Anglia Executive Leadership Team will join the podcast, as well as representatives from Network Rail to discuss how they are continuously investing in rail infrastructure and the role they play in helping us achieve record-breaking performance. Each episode will delve a little deeper into some of the recent Greater Anglia news highlights. Lucy and Dom will examine some of the company’s most talked about stories and share some previously unknown information. In a new feature called Destination in the Spotlight, the podcast will welcome Community Rail Partnership Officers from across the network who will share some of the beautiful locations on their route and talk about some of the exciting activities that they are hosting. In the first episode which launches on Monday 2 September, the journalist, broadcaster, and railway advocate Michael Portillo joins the podcast to discuss his Railway Journeys, what made him fall in love with rail travel, and what he finds most attractive when travelling on the Greater Anglia network. Michael Portillo, said: “I have a lot of fondness for Greater Anglia, and it was a pleasure to join their Life on Rail podcast. “The introduction of the new trains has been particularly impressive, and I have been struck by their acceleration and punctuality. They also look very smart while being quiet and therefore do not upset my soundman if we are ever filming. “I have been incredibly fortunate to spend time in East Anglia and the Greater Anglia staff very often come out and greet us. They want to make sure that everything runs as smoothly as possible, and I am truly grateful.” Also in the first episode, Lucy and Dom will speak with Greater Anglia’s Safeguarding and Community Safety Manager, Georgia Payne. With World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September, Georgia will be discussing how we support people struggling with their mental health. L-R: Georgia Payne, Dominic Rosso, Lucy Wright (Credit. Greater Anglia) Thalia Rushmore is the Community Rail Partnership Officer for the East Suffolk Lines between Ipswich, and Lowestoft and Ipswich and Felixstowe. She joins the podcast to speak about some of the beautiful locations along this route and share some of the exciting activities that they are hosting. Dominic Rosso, Greater Anglia’s Senior Media and Public Relations Manager, said: “The Life on Rails podcast is back. We are truly excited to give passengers a peek behind the curtain of Greater Anglia and showcase how we are putting passengers first. “It was a true delight to welcome Michael Portillo to the podcast and hear how his affinity with the railway began and why he believes that rail is the best way to travel.” (Credit. Greater Anglia) Life on Rails series 2, episode 1 is now live. It is available on all usual podcast platforms and www.greateranglia.co.uk/podcast. The podcast will be issued bi-monthly.
