TransPennine Route Upgrade (TRU) has announced Pete Sollitt as the new managing director of TRU West Alliance as it looks ahead to a crucial year for the route transformation project between Leeds and Manchester.
Sollitt joins the TRU after a decade of experience in leading roles across a multitude of major infrastructure projects including HS2, where he was Phase 2A delivery director, as well as a spell in the British Army.
Sollitt will be part of the team aiming to deliver a newly electrified line across 70 miles of railway as well as a new fully digital signalling system. Alongside those integral works, key areas of the line is to be double tracked which will be designed to deliver more frequent and greener trains.
Sollitt commented on his appointment: “I’m really excited to be joining at such a pivotal moment for the West Alliance. I recognise this is a complex, fast-moving programme with many facets.
“A key priority of mine at this early stage is to ensure that every single person working on the Alliance is safe and well. We all need to play our part in supporting a vigilant culture that protects ourselves and our colleagues.”
The Department of Transport announced a £3.9 billion boost for the TRU in December, taking the total funding of the project to £6.9 billion as it continues to complete its works programme, with significant work planned in 2024.
The TransPennine Route Upgrade follows an enterprise business model which is led by its managing director Neil Holm. This structure consists of individual projects that are delivered via Alliances in the East and West of Leeds.
Sollitt added: “In terms of the delivery of the programme, we need to maintain and enhance our performance so that excellence becomes a habit.
“Looking at what the Alliance has achieved so far, I’m certain that we have the capability, expertise and experience required to achieve that.”
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