27.06.18
Four chosen to advise on ORR timetable shake-up investigation ahead of autumn report
Four transport industry heavyweights have been drafted in as the expert panel of independent advisers for the ORR inquiry into the widespread levels of disruption experienced across the network since May’s controversial timetable shake-up.
London transport commissioner Mike Brown, Civil Aviation Authority chair Dame Deirdre Hutton, ORR non-executive member Anne Heal, and rail industry veteran Michael Beswick will advise the inquiry as it seeks to collect evidence from a range organisations.
The independent panel will also ensure that the regulator’s own role – including its oversight of Network Rail and the operating companies – is properly assessed.
Secretary of state Chris Grayling announced the inquiry earlier this month after desperate calls from political and sector leaders for the government to intervene and put an end to passenger misery. It was formally launched on 14 June, with the ORR’s chair Stephen Glaister sitting at the helm.
“I am pleased that four people possessing such a wide range of experience and expertise have agreed to join the panel supporting this important Inquiry,” Glaister said.
“The inquiry itself will proceed quickly, but also thoroughly and impartially, to determine exactly what happened in relation to the May 2018 issues and will develop a set of recommendations to avoid a repetition of such disruption.”
The investigation will focus on what took place when the timetable was introduced compared with what should have happened. It will concentrate on where the difficulties lied and their underlying causes, as well as examine the disruption experienced by passengers, mostly notably on Northern and GTR services.
Initial findings will be unveiled in September, with a final report due by the end of the year.
Top image c. TfL, Flickr