Sophie Bancroft on career progression, rail reform and why fake roadworks worked for the Olympics

Leon's latest guest on the Lunch with Leon podcast is Sophie Bancroft, HR Director at Network Rail, who brings a wealth of experience from her previous operational roles at Network Rail and Transport for London.

The conversation begins with Sophie reflecting on her start in the transport industry through TfL's graduate management scheme in September 2008.

"It was absolutely incredible... just brilliant," she says, describing how the scheme allowed her to try different roles over three to six-month periods.

"I totally fell in love with operations whilst working at TfL," she explains, noting how mandatory operational placements for all graduates – regardless of their intended specialisation – provided invaluable grounding in the industry.

"We all had to learn how to be station supervisors... there's nothing more grounding than working at Oxford Circus or Piccadilly Circus on a Saturday night," she recalls. This hands-on experience transformed her interest in railways into “a vocation."

On the topic of rail reform, Sophie expresses optimism about the industry's direction. "Everyone is quite optimistic... we've been needing reform for a long time," she says, emphasising that bringing together the best of Network Rail and the private sector will benefit all railway customers, from passengers to freight.

While acknowledging that change brings uncertainty, Sophie reflects on some of her own father’s wisdom: "Control what you can, influence what you can, and the rest of it, don't worry about."

The conversation shifts to the London 2012 Olympics, where Sophie served as Service Control Manager for the Metropolitan line. "It was absolutely brilliant... the railway worked so incredibly well," she reminisces, recalling the positive atmosphere and special touches like displaying medal information on Underground display boards.

In a surprising revelation, Leon shares that during the Olympics, TfL created "fake roadworks" to manage traffic flow into central London. "Where we couldn't control it with traffic signals, we put up cones and pretended we were working on the road," he says, even recounting how then-Prime Minister David Cameron questioned him about this unorthodox approach.

Sophie shows genuine fascination with traffic demand management strategies, from controlling station gate openings to designing pedestrian routes.

"I think it's really clever... it would be really cool to shine a light on the sort of work that we do," she says, admitting she now notices event planning details that most people overlook.

The conversation takes a more serious turn as they discuss the 2016 Sandilands tram accident. Sophie reveals that in 2021, she temporarily took over as General Manager of London Trams to allow Mark Davis to attend the inque

st.

"It was a very difficult time... everyone had been touched by the incident at some point," she reflects, describing the challenge of supporting the team through trauma while keeping the system running.

Sophie praises her colleagues' response: "Everyone worked with such kindness... everyone really treated us all with respect and kindness, which was lovely."

On a lighter note, Sophie shares her love for the London Transport Museum as a trustee.

"The board meetings are some of the best meetings I go to," she says, appreciating the diverse voices and collaborative atmosphere. She highlights the museum's educational value, explaining how it helps people understand why transport systems sometimes seem "weird" due to their history of competing companies.

"What is sort of not known about the museum so much is the huge amount of charity work it does," Sophie adds, mentioning programs like "Enjoyment to Employment" for ex-offenders and transport safety workshops that reach every Year 5 or 6 child in London.

Throughout the conversation, Sophie's passion for the transport industry shines through, from her enthusiasm about the Metropolitan line's S-stock trains' capacity to her appreciation for how railways have historically increased life expectancy by improving access to goods, healthcare, and education.

To listen to the full Episode, visit: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/sophie-bancroft/id1526820389?i=1000702638015