THEY are the station-masters. . . the men whose task is to take the strain out of train travel.

Railwaymen Ian Faletto of Sway Station, and Carl Collins of Southampton Parkway, both work to make the British commuter happy - and they are definitely on the right track.

Through their efforts, ultra-modern Southampton Parkway and quaint Victorian Sway are among the most "passenger-friendly" stations in the country.

Both are shortlisted in the annual Station of the Year competition, where nominations from appreciative passengers are a vital part of the judging.

Sway station has been gold-starred on the railway map already, with awards in 1996, '97 and '98 - thanks to Ian's devotion to duty.

He always wears a buttonhole. His waiting room is perfumed and full of carnations and pinks. His passengers can absorb Sway Station's 111-year history via a display of ancient photographs and tickets he's collected.

"Passengers pay enough. They deserve a bit of care," said Ian.

At Southampton Parkway, Carl Collins's team of four try to pamper every passenger - even though 3,500 pass through daily.

Parkway is the flag-ship station in the South West Trains region - thanks to a £1.5 million revamp two years ago.

Passenger Mrs Margaret Hodgetts said: "I am nearly 80 and I was worried about carrying my bags, but they have already offered to help me. There are still some nice friendly people about."

Security guard Graham Playford said: "I work at nine stations and this is by far the best. It is air-conditioned and clean, and very pleasant on a hot day."

Jo Howard, from Swaythling said: "I don't know why they didn't put in proper facilities to help people in wheelchairs cross the track, while they were spending all that money on doing the station up. But otherwise, it's lovely."

The Station of the Year awards will be presented at The Old Station Hotel, Marylebone, London, on October 8.

The awards are run by Railtrack with Railnews and Rotary International.

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