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Thursday 25 Jun 2015

Network Rail chairman to step down

Region & Route:

National

The chairman of Network Rail, Professor Richard Parry-Jones CBE, has today announced his intention to step down after he has finished three years in the role in July.

During his term the rail industry has seen both significant change and tremendous growth in passengers and freight. More passengers than ever now travel on one of the safest but most crowded rail networks in the world. In the last three years asset reliability has been driven to an all-time high, and the foundations for achieving operational excellence have been laid with devolution of Network Rail's core business to eight routes, which allow closer performance benchmarking and accountability as well as deeper regional alliances with train operators.

The industry is engaged in the largest and most challenging investment program in its recent history. The huge acceleration in electrification and other service and capacity improvements requires the industrial equivalent of open heart surgery to operate on a live railway while trying to minimize the inevitable impact on passengers. Done properly, however, with the right quality, this will secure the future of rail in the UK for many decades to come.

Richard Parry-Jones said: “It has been an honour to serve in this nationally important role, and a pleasure to work with colleagues across the industry. I am proud of the progress we have made on many fronts and would like to thank all our incredibly dedicated staff for their hard work, our customers for their business and their understanding when not everything goes to plan, and the public for their growing support for the industry. I wish my successor every success."

Secretary of State for Transport said: “Network Rail has a very important role delivering a reliable national rail network. I thank its chairman, Richard Parry-Jones, for his three years of service. Network Rail has shown, by the work it completed at Dawlish following the winter storms, and at Reading where extensive work was completed over Easter, what it could achieve under difficult circumstances.”

Mark Carne, Network Rail chief executive, said: "I would like to express my appreciation to Richard Parry-Jones for his support and challenge to me and the executive team over the last three years. In particular, he revitalised our engagement with technology and the opportunity that it can bring to improve our railway.  

"I would also like to give a warm welcome to Sir Peter Hendy as the new chairman.  I have already had the pleasure of working closely with Sir Peter in his previous role on many occasions in the last year, and I know that his immense experience will be a huge asset to the Board, to me and to the company."