19.04.18
Supervisory board established to drive rail improvements in Anglia
A new dedicated Route Supervisory Board has been formed to drive improvements to Anglia’s regional rail network.
The board has been formed through Network Rail joining Anglia’s passenger, train and freight organisations, and will be made up of senior representatives of the organisations, along with a representative from Transport Focus.
Arthur Leathley, who has been involved with the rail industry for over 15 years, mainly as a director at Virgin Trains, will act as the chairman. He currently represents passenger interests as chair of London TravelWatch and on Transport Focus’ board.
It is hoped that his experience, along with cross-industry representation, will drive collaborative discussions and enable effective decision-making.
The aim of the Route Supervisory Board is to facilitate a “one railway approach” for the passenger, operators and infrastructure owner to plan and deliver excellent performance and service.
Leathley said: “There has been huge investment and hard work put into improving rail travel in the Anglia region recently, and so it is an exciting time to really focus attention on customers as new trains and timetables come into service over the next two years.”
Network Rail’s route managing director for Anglia, Meliha Duymaz, explained that by working with its industry partners, Network Rail will be able to better focus on the needs of its customers and stakeholders.
“This will help us deliver improvements that will make a real difference to the growing number of passengers in the region and drive economic growth as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan,” she continued.
James Burles, Greater Anglia managing director, added: “We’re pleased to play our full part in the new Anglia route supervisory board.
“As the main passenger train operator for East Anglia, we are embarking on a £1.4bn investment programme to replace every single one of our trains with brand new trains during 2019-20, to give customers, communities and the wider region a transformed service, which also supports economic development.”
With the aid of the new supervisory board, he said that Greater Anglia and Network Rail will be able to maximise the benefits of the upgrades for passengers.
The first meeting will be held in May.
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