25.08.17
New Arriva Trains Wales boss named ahead of franchise refresh
The current passenger services director for London Midland has been selected to head up Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) as its managing director from 2 October, taking over from Ian Bullock.
Tom Joyner is leaving his former organisation just a few days after the operator lost its control of the West Midlands franchise, which was handed over to a joint venture between Abellio, East Japan Railway Company and Mitsui & Co Ltd instead.
He will also be joining ATW as the operator fights to maintain control of its current franchise, Wales and Borders, after the current contract expires in 2018. The TOC is currently competing against a shortlist of three foreign-owned companies, including Abellio Rail Cymru, KeolisAmey and MTR Corporation.
“I am excited to be joining one of the largest businesses in Wales and to use my passenger services background to build on ATW’s partnership approach with the Welsh government and Network Rail to drive continuous rail service improvements for passengers,” said Joyner.
The new ATW boss has over 20 years’ experience in the rail industry. Since joining London Midland in 2013, he has been responsible for captaining a team of 2,000 people focused on transforming travel for 60 million passenger journeys each year.
Before that, Joyner had leadership stints in Network Rail, FirstGroup and National Express.
Welcoming the new managing director, Chris Burchell, Arriva’s MD for UK Trains, said: “We are really pleased that Tom has decided to join the Arriva team and continue our investment plan for passengers through the Wales and Borders franchise.
“I would also like to thank Ian for his enormous contribution to ATW, and the role he has played in driving improvements in services for passengers.”
As well as running the Wales and Borders franchise, Arriva maintains its strong grip on the UK rail market by operating CrossCountry, Chiltern Railways, Arriva Rail North, London Overground and Grand Central.
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