Latest Rail News

19.09.17

Griffiths takes over reins as MD of HS2 phase 2

Paul Griffiths has taken over as managing director of phase 2 at HS2 following the departure of Alison Munro, it has today been revealed.

Munro left the company at the end of August, with former phase 2b development director Griffiths the favourite to succeed her as managing director.

And updates on his social media profile have shown that he has indeed been quietly given the important role, which will see him lead the construction of the £25bn high-speed project north of Birmingham via north west England to Manchester and via the East Midlands to South Yorkshire and Leeds.

"HS2 will transform the economic geography of the country, serving over 25 stations and connecting around 30 million people," Griffiths said.

"I’m really proud of the what we have achieved so far, working with communities and stakeholders right across the country. We’re now focused on taking the next Bill through Parliament and continuing the work of developing the rest of the route.”

Before joining HS2, Griffiths spent six years at Centro as Metro and Sprint programme director, and was responsible for the expansion of the light rail system in Birmingham.

He has also had roles at Metrolink, Manchester City Council, as well as at construction company Mace, where he was an operations director.

HS2 chief executive Mark Thurston added that he was pleased Griffiths would be moving to managing director, describing him as a "welcome addition to the HS2 executive team". 

"During his time with the company Paul has been instrumental in helping us to get the designation of the route to Leeds and Manchester.

"With his knowledge and understanding of the programme he is exceptionally well placed to continue the detailed route design and bring the benefits of HS2 to more places in the Midlands and the North."

The appointment of Griffiths follows a year of big changes in the HS2 board room, after Beth West stepped down as HS2 commercial director in June, which followed Simon Kirby resigning as CEO of the company in September 2016.

HS2 has also moved forward with the award of construction contracts and the finalisation of the phase 2 route following a rocky start to the year with Mace threatening legal action against the company over its handling of the phase 2b contract.

Griffiths will also be speaking at TransCityRail North, hosted by RTM on 5 October at Manchester's Principal Hotel. 

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Comments

Andrew Gwilt   20/09/2017 at 20:07

Hope he can get HS2 Phase 2 started.

Colin U Nelson-Thompson   26/09/2017 at 21:16

^ why? Phase 2 and HS2 in general are a drain on public resources and funds. The scheme is set to become the most expensive rail network in the world, can Britain afford this in the current economic climate? It is highly likely that HS2 which will need about £3bn/year for 20 years so many other projects will have to be cancelled as HS2 will demand all the money in the transport budget. Thousands of people are also being forced to leave their homes and businesses as they are deemed as immaterial and are not treated with any respect by HS2 while they are being uprooted. The train line is set to run through 350 unique habitats, 98 irreplaceable ancient woods, 30 river corridors, 24 Sites of Special Scientific Interest plus hundreds of other sensitive areas, which is a total environmental disaster. Yes, HS2 may have some benefits, like creating jobs and increasing the capacity of rail networks, but is it worth it? I think not.

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