Hus honoured by 7/7 anniversary invitation

Hus Ibrahim of the Lanes Group’s London depot has been invited to a service to mark the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks in the capital which killed 52 people and injured hundreds more.

Lanes is a facilities management contractor for London Underground (LU) and provides manpower, equipment and services for unusual situations on the tube network.

Underground bosses issued a personal invitation to Hus in appreciation of his efforts over and above the call of duty during the massive clear-up operation after the atrocity.

Hus will join survivors of the 7/7 bombings, relatives of those who died, staff from TfL, police, fire service, ambulance staff and others, at St Paul’s Cathedral on 7 July.

London mayor Boris Johnson and Prince Andrew are also expected to attend, along with other senior figures.

As Rail Division Operations Manager at Lanes’ Rainham branch, Hus was responsible for mobilising and co-ordinating 350 staff who worked round the clock to clean 2300-metres of track and tunnels between Russell Square and King’s Cross.

He recalls hearing news of the bombing that day: “Everyone was in shock, but within a very short time around 99% of the workforce had offered to help — for free if necessary.

“Of course no one could go in until the police and emergency services had completed their work, but we were put on standby. By 10 July, we were able to start the cleaning operation.

“There is no doubt that it was harrowing work for the crews, but they put their all into the task, finishing in just five days instead of the allotted nine. I know that was greatly appreciated by LU.”

Hus, now Contracts Manager at Lanes, says it was not just about the clean up.

Doing this job to the very best of our ability, we felt we were doing something positive in memory of all the innocents who lost their lives. So many people did so much during the tragedy — and afterwards. It is a huge honour to be invited to sit amongst them.

The service from St Paul’s will be broadcast live on BBC1 from 10:30am on Tuesday, 7 July.