Southeastern is proud to celebrate customer assistant Mark Jones for an extraordinary 40 years of service to the railway and his community, now recognised with the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year Honours List.
Mark, known affectionally as the Herne Bay Railway Historian, has gone above and beyond to bring rail history to life and inspire the next generation to learn about the railway.
From organising 24 community events and hosting local heritage tours in his British Rail uniform, to curating anniversary exhibitions at Herne Bay’s Seaside Museum and Whitstable Museum, Mark has single-handedly brought the railway and the Herne Bay community together.
Mark Jones, Customer Assistant at Southeastern said:
“I am honoured to receive the British Empire Medal. The railway and my love of my hometown have been a constant over the course of my life, and it was only natural I began to take an interest in the history of both.
“During my work supporting Railway 200 it has been a privilege and a joy to share this knowledge with others and to see first-hand how learning about the past the railway can inspire young people and bring our communities together.”
Mark, 57, is a familiar face to many Southeastern passengers at Whitstable station, where he has been the resident train dispatcher and customer assistant since 2009. His introduction to the railway came in 1984 when he joined the Youth Training Scheme with British Rail, before taking up the post of junior railman aged 17.
He worked at stations across Kent before passing his ticket office exam in 1993 and returning to his home town of Herne Bay in 1993, where Mark worked for 15 years.
During his career Mark has distinguished himself several times, including in 2008 when he received a commendation from Canterbury crown court for intervening in a racially motivated assault while off duty, and in 2024, when he supported a young woman in crisis.
Southeastern thanks Mark for an extraordinary 40 years of service and we look forward to working with him for many more years to come.
