Interviews

Andrew Haines, CE of Network Rail, tells BBC News his organisation could issue future rail franchises

24 June 2019Andrew Haines, the Chief Executive of Network Rail, has told the Today programme on Radio 4's BBC’s flagship news programme that he would not rule out his organisation issuing future rail franchises

Advancing the rail industry with management degree apprenticeships

08 May 2019In answering the pressing questions of how current and future generations of managers can provide solutions to high-profile infrastructure projects across the UK, Pearson Business School, part of Pearson College London, offers the Chartered Manage...

Women in rail - is the industry on the right track?

12 March 2019RTM sits down with Samantha Smith, sole female member of the TransPennine Route Upgrade Alliance Leadership Team, to find out more about encouraging more women to enter rail. Improving gender diversity in the rail industry is firmly on the agenda...

TfN Strategic Transport Plan: not just for transport's sake

22 January 2019Peter Molyneux, Transport for the North’s (TfN’s) strategic roads director, has been leading on the development of the seven economic Strategic Development Corridors – a key part of the organisation’s Strategic Transport Pl...

Exclusive: Midlands Connect and WMRE talk collaboration and investment in the Midlands' railway

22 January 2019In the jigsaw puzzle of regional transport decision-making, there must be collaboration and compromise. Media lead James Bovill speaks to Maria Machancoses, director of Midlands Connect, and Malcolm Holmes, executive director of West Midlands Rail...

Rail Ombudsman interview: RTM sits down with CEO Kevin Grix

20 December 2018In November, the first ever Rail Ombudsman was established in a bid to give passengers a free independent service to allow passengers to claim compensation by appealing unresolved complaints. But how will one of the driving forces behind the new s...

HS2 train race: making the case

20 November 2018Bombardier and Hitachi’s commitment to providing the best HS2 rolling stock pitch to the government was signified with the launch of their new bid centre in Birmingham in September. With other transport giants Alstom, CAF, Talgo and Siemens...

Finding positives in negative short-circuiting devices

09 November 2018Anything that brings about safety and time-saving benefits is a valued improvement for the rail industry, which is why the introduction of Negative Short-Circuiting Devices (NSCDs) to make isolations safer and faster is being embraced by the indus...

Taking to the skies

30 October 2018Network Rail’s commitment to driving innovation is best encapsulated by its latest scheme involving high-definition imagery drones, or UAVs. RTM’s Jack Donnelly sat down with the Thameslink Programme Network Rail project sponsor, Paul...

Going global: an interview with Network Rail’s Leevan Finney

29 August 2018RTM’s Jack Donnelly sat down with one of the leading minds behind Network Rail’s most advanced and innovative rail maintenance technology so far. Director of fleet and engineering Leevan Finney (pictured) talks about the project, the i...

Male, muddy and manual?

03 July 2018Sean Hebden, rail director at Kier Group, tells RTM’s Luana Salles what the company is doing to change the perception of the built environment sector from ‘male, muddy and manual’ to one that can attract and retain the next gener...

Transforming travel in the north west

06 February 2018RTM’s Josh Mines talks to Robin Davis, head of new trains at TransPennine Express (TPE), about the huge rolling stock change journey the company is currently embarking on. Last year was, in some ways, marked by disappointment for rail in th...

Thameslink: Nearing the end of the line

23 January 2018RTM’s Josh Mines catches up with Mark Somers, project director for Thameslink, on how the final stages of the programme are progressing and what lessons the industry can take away from its success. Network Rail’s mammoth £7bn Th...

Modernising journeys in north east England

09 November 2017First Hull Trains is about to embark on the biggest fleet overhaul it has delivered since being set up in 2000. Managing director Will Dunnett tells RTM’s Josh Mines about how the new rolling stock will benefit passengers in the region. It&...

Ian Prosser: Safety by design

02 November 2017Ian Prosser, the ORR’s chief inspector of railways and director of railway safety, outlines to RTM’s Josh Mines the key challenges facing rail organisations in improving health and safety standards. Keeping passengers and workers safe...