Richard Allan, formerly people & strategy director and deputy managing director at Northern Trains, is joining Chiltern Railways in October as managing director.
An Arriva UK Trains company, Chiltern has recently signed a new agreement with the Department for Transport (DfT) to run services between London Marylebone and the Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.
Richard has worked with Arriva UK Trains before, when he was deputy managing director at Arriva Rail North from 2016. There, he demonstrated his ability to lead a business in challenging times whilst shaping future strategy and engaging stakeholders.
Chris Burchell, managing director of Arriva UK Trains, who will be leaving the industry in mid October, said: “We are delighted to welcome Richard back to the Arriva family.
“This is a crucial time for Chiltern Railways and the rail industry, with an urgent need to deliver accelerated change.
“I’m confident that Richard will be able to build on Chiltern’s strong track record of punctuality, reliability and customer service and shape the future evolution of the network.”
Richard responded: “I am delighted and proud to be joining the Chiltern team and look forward to meeting and working with colleagues, customers and stakeholders to build on previous successes.
“There is a lot to do as we enter a new era for Chiltern with a new arrangement with Government and the challenge of attracting customers back to their railway.”
He will take over from Mary Hewitt, UK Trains’ strategy and policy director, who has been acting as interim managing director since the beginning of this year. Mary will now return to her role at UK Trains on a part-time basis as she will also be undertaking a secondment to Network Rail, on behalf of Rail Delivery Group members, to lead the industry’s engagement in shaping the new 30-year Whole Industry Strategic Plan.
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