Passengers and staff are being giving the opportunity to have more say in the way Sussex's leading rail company is run.

Seven regular passengers and three employees have become members of the South Central Stakeholder Advisory Board, which will meet every three months with top management.

The aim of the board will be to provide a clear focus for the development of South Central, which took over the franchise of the lines from London to Sussex in August 2001.

It will be expected to promote a better understanding of the needs of passengers and of South Central's employees and management.

The board will monitor the performance of the company and make appropriate recommendations for improvements.

Board members have been drawn from across the network and have direct experience of South Central services.

They have been selected following a vigorous assessment and interview and will do the job voluntarily.

David Franks, managing director of South Central said: "We want to make sure the board is effective and that it will have the power to influence policy decisions.

"I feel confident the members will make an important contribution to the continued drive to improve our services and develop a greater passenger-focussed culture within the company."

The board members are:

Gina Field, who runs her own PR business based near Gatwick. She is a leading member of the Hassocks Amenity Association, which is a voluntary group aimed at improving facilities in the local area, including Hassocks station and rail services.

Trevor Tupper, who has been a regular commuter from his home in Chichester to London for 40 years. Trevor, now retired, worked as a policy advisor in central government. He is a regular user of the Arun Valley and Coastway lines and travels extensively by rail throughout the UK and Europe.

Michael Wauk, who has spent more than 30 years involved in product research and development.

He has lived and worked in a number of countries and now lives in Haywards Heath from where he runs his own business. He is a frequent user of South Central services for business and personal purposes.

Wheelchair user Ann Bates is the board's representative for people with disabilities. She is a member of the Rail Passengers Committee for Southern England and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee. She commutes regularly to London from her home in Worthing.

Joe Killner, who is a South Central driver based at Horsham. He lives in Southwater with his wife and four year-old daughter.

Liz Lumber, from Seaford, has worked for South Central as a driver for three years.

She used to be a fitness club manager and still enjoys sport, particularly golf and running marathons.

Joanna Slaughter, who has worked within the railway industry for seven years, mainly in customer facing roles. She is based in the sales point at Portslade station on the West Coastway. Joanna lives in Brighton with her husband and daughter.

Ron Bochard, who has spent 20 years working in international management. He lives in Oxted, Surrey with his wife and son.

Alessandra McConville, who lives in Streatham, south London, with her partner and three-year-old daughter.

Geoffrey Meekins, who has an engineering background, mainly in the Royal Navy. He lives in Edenbridge, Kent, and has ten years' experience of the daily commute on South Central's Uckfield Line.