Suzanne Mathieson, rail director at Mott MacDonald, has been selected by Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, and Steve Rotheram, Liverpool City Region Mayor, to join them on the new Liverpool-Manchester Railway Partnership Board (LMRPB).
The LMRPB was launched in May 2024 to lead the development of proposals for a high-speed line between the conurbations, and former Rail Minister and chair of the Transport Select Committee Huw Merriman was announced as its leader last month.
Suzanne, who is based in Manchester and has three decades of rail experience, will help the board navigate the local stakeholder environment. Suzanne’s programme management, commercial and stakeholder engagement experience will be instrumental to this, having been at the heart of major schemes such as HS2 where she worked closely for and with key stakeholders including Network Rail and the Department for Transport.
Other members joining the board alongside Suzanne include the leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, and Liverpool City Council, Liam Robinson, both serving as vice-chairs. It also involves other local authorities along the route, as well as the Port of Liverpool, Manchester Airports Group and other stakeholder organisations.
Suzanne joined Mott MacDonald in 2023 from Network Rail’s North West and Central region where she was most recently deputy director for the Crewe area programme. Since joining Mott MacDonald, she has led the development of the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) portfolio through early-stage development (PACE ES2).
In her role as rail director, she is responsible for a multi-million pound portfolio of work. This spans various local authorities, including Transport for Greater Manchester as well as for infrastructure managers, including Network Rail and Transport for London.
Commenting on her appointment, Suzanne said: “As a longstanding advocate for better transport outcomes in the north of England and working for an employer with strong roots in the area…
I am thrilled to join the board and use my expertise to make a difference.
“I am looking forward to working with the experienced members on the board to ensure the best interests of the railway, and transport locally, is realised to support future growth and future generations.”
Photo credit: Mott McDonald
