Janelle Raeburn

Olympics Development Planner, London Underground.
Joined March 2002

Getting London ready for 2012

I joined as a Customer Services Graduate Trainee and I'm now an Olympic Development Planner within London Underground. I'm responsible for producing all Venue Transport Plans, setting out in detail how London Underground  intends to get spectators and the Olympic workforce to and from the 20 venues across London during the Games. The most recent plan I've completed was for Lords - which will play host to the Archery in 2012. The key station for that venue is St John's Wood, so I produced a transport plan for it, predicting the number of passengers, the staff we're going to need, how it's all going to run, any extra measures we may need to take and contingency plans. This has been the biggest highlight of my work so far. It's a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to ensure the Tube is ready for 2012.

Getting real, hands-on experience at a London Underground station

One of the key placements I had during my scheme was as a Station Supervisor at Kings Cross. It was my first Operations role and it's stayed with me throughout my career. It's very important to experience operations because it's at the core of our business - serving customers, running trains and getting people where they need to be. The placement gave me grounding and confidence. It'll really set you up, no matter what area of the business you move into. So now, no matter what I'm doing, I'm always thinking about how my actions translate on the ground.

Supported at every step of my development

I've really been impressed with career development and training opportunities that the graduate scheme has given me. Most recently, I successfully completed a Prince2 Practitioner Course to support my project management development. You're lucky to be able to experience a real range of training, from technical to softer management skills. You are supported to identify your development needs and find a suitable solution be it coaching, attending a training course or peer support.

Six years with TfL, and counting…

I'm very glad that I chose TfL. So far I've been at London Underground for six years and I intend to be around for a while longer yet, hopefully with the Olympic team until 2012. Who knows what opportunities will arise from there. If you're thinking of joining the scheme I would say get on board! The career prospects are fantastic, the salary is good and you get free travel. You will also be working at the heart of what London is all about. London Underground is the lifeblood of the city and the part I play helps to keep London moving.