Margaret was a great friend to me. We met over thirteen years ago. On my first day I saw her across the office, corralling her team around some aspect of complex statistics with obvious patience and kindness. One of my first projects was with Margaret. She tried to explain the challenges of counting the numbers of passengers coming into cities, when it wasn’t clear where people were boarding and alighting and we worked together to build better models of passenger demand and provide evidence for a multi year pipeline of government investment that is still being used now. From then on we became friends. Occasional visits to the Royal Oak and the Loosebox and frequent chats in the DfT basement canteen cemented our friendship. We had many belly-laughs as we shared different perspectives on office life, especially a unique take on women in rail. We also shared our experiences of working and bringing up a family. Margaret’s daughter Nicole was the oldest of our combined brood, and stories of her amazing achievements at school and college provided inspiration (and awe) of Margaret’s family life. Margaret will always hold a special place in my heart as a friend and an analytical kindred spirit.

Farewell.

Alice Crossley.