‘Without us, no wheel would turn’: the unsung heroes keeping England’s transport moving

A Guardian feature profiles several behind-the-scenes workers who keep England's transport networks running, from Heathrow airfield operations officers to London bus controllers and rail signallers. The piece highlights how these largely invisible roles are essential to safe, punctual travel, even though passengers rarely see or think about the people performing them.

At Heathrow, airfield operations officer Jack Quantick-Thorne monitors runway conditions, patrols the airfield's road network, checks refuelling and wheel chocks, and occasionally marshals aircraft using paddles, though laser-guided systems now handle most stand approaches. He also disperses birds using recorded predator calls played from speakers on his van, and once towed the retired Concorde across the airfield for an exhibition. The article also introduces Chris, who manages roughly 500 of Westminster's 19,000 bus stops from Victoria Station House, illustrating the scale and complexity of coordinating London's bus network alongside the airport and rail examples.