Find out about Claire Nichols, planning manager for rail at Murphy, a key member of the Golborne team who has been with the company for 8 years.
What is your role at Murphy?
I am a rail planning manager. I oversee, plan and coordinate access to the Network Rail infrastructure, making sure that engineering works can take place safely, follow Network Rail standards and meet programme and budget constraints.
Describe your typical day.
I rarely have a typical day if I’m honest which is probably why I enjoy my job so much. It’s always interesting, challenging and rewarding. Regular meetings ensure we are constantly collaborating and using all the latest innovations to provide our clients with the best service, including Network Rail, their stakeholders, the train operating companies and our own internal teams.
As well as the day-to-day part of my role, more recently I’ve been on-site during large blockades, providing critical reporting to Network Rail, as well as giving planning support to the construction teams.
What are you working on at the moment?
My time is currently focused on the Control Period 5 (CP5) framework for Network Rail, negotiating engineering access outside of the usual timeframes normally allowed for routine works. The nature of works can be anything from dealing with emergency landslides blocking the line, coordinating this through various channels within Network Rail, to scheduling blockades to enable the long-term development of schemes.
One example is the recent Holmes Chapel Viaduct, also known at the ‘Twemlow Viaduct’. This is an iconic Grade II listed asset, built in 1841, a 500-metre long brick and sandstone structure with twenty-three semi-circular arches and decorative features. The project involved track-off and waterproofing to make sure the viaduct will continue to enhance the local area and provide a vital service to people across the rail network.
For ultimate efficiency, our strategy was to use the negotiated blockade to deliver a number of other projects, including overbridges and underbridges, integrating these work to minimise impact. We were reliant on multiple engineering trains, tampers, and speed restrictions to ensure our delivery was on-target for our client. It was great to see the project evolving from the very early stages to final completion and working with a great team along the way, from our Project Manager to site operatives.
What's your greatest achievement at Murphy?
There are so many achievements within my 8 years at the company, it’s tough to pick just one but I would have to say being promoted from possession and safe system of work (SSOW) planner, to rail planning manager, almost 4 years ago.
What's your happiest memory of the company?
I’ve experienced many happy memories throughout my career within the Murphy Group. Over time the company has developed and grown so much but always retained the family feeling. On a personal level we share ups and downs, celebrate engagements and births announcements and offer support through difficult periods.
What do you enjoy most about your job?
The most enjoyable part of my job is mentoring and developing my team. To be able to offer someone a career, not just a job and give them the tools to progress themselves so they can advance, is incredibly rewarding.
I also enjoy seeing the projects that my team and I have worked on for 2 years or so, reaching completion on time, successfully and meeting our Zero Harm target.
Who has been your inspiration for your career?
In my personal life I’d say my uncle who went from a postman to chairman of a multi-million pound company, proving anything is possible through sheer hard work and determination. Within the workplace there are two people: Danny O’Brien and Paul Mohan who I’ve been extremely lucky to work for as I started my career within Murphy. Danny is now the director of operations for the north and Paul director of the rail sector. I’ve always admired their leadership skills and the fact that they’ve never lost their personal approach.
What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into a similar role?
Never be afraid to ask questions, especially regarding something you don’t understand, as a saying goes “there is no such thing as a stupid question”, keep an inquiring mind. It’s hard work, extremely demanding at times but also rewarding. In planning you’ll always be challenged, every day is different. Even after 12 years in planning, I’m still learning something new every day.
What attracted you towards a career with Murphy?
The family ethos. I believe this is our biggest selling point and one that people outside of the business wouldn’t realise holds true. I’ve experienced being treated as a number in a big corporate organisation before – and although the business has grown incredibly over my time here, the family ethos definitely still exists, it’s a very rare thing to find in a company today.
How have your managers supported you in your career so far?
My managers over the years have helped develop me and my career as a Murphy employee, understanding my limits and pushing me out of my comfort zone, allowing me to demonstrate continuous improvement and growth, recognising what individuals can bring and rewarding efforts through career progression.
How is Murphy supporting you in your career?
Murphy has allowed me to become involved in the tender process, including on large schemes with East Coast Mainline, Power Supply Upgrade, Trans Pennine and CP5 frameworks, further developing my outlook and skills as a manager.
I’ve been very fortunate to have built my own team, which has developed over the years so we can deliver high-profile work banks, Murphy has trusted my judgement and allowed me great autonomy.
