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Monday 24 Mar 2025

Experienced railway leader returns to head up NW&C

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Today (Monday 24 March) Jake Kelly returns to Network Rail’s North West & Central Region (NW&C) as its new regional management director.

With over 25 years in the rail industry, Jake brings a wealth of track and train experience in regional, national and strategic roles.

Starting his first day, Jake has set out his three priorities for the region to deliver the best, most reliable and efficient railway for its customers and communities:

• Every minute matters by running a punctual and reliable railway as this is what passengers and freight users deserve, which will also attract new customers and grow revenue.
• Ensuring everyone gets home safe every day following safe working methods to keep passengers and freight users on the move.
• Being financially sustainable through spending every pound that is entrusted to us wisely.

Looking ahead, Jake is focussed on empowering our people to do the right things for our customers and communities ahead of Great British Railways transition. He is also committed to building the best possible workforce from the diverse communities the NW&C Region is proud to serve to futureproof the railway.

Commenting on his first day, Jake Kelly, said: “I am delighted to be back on NW&C region to lead the dedicated and passionate people who serve the economies, diverse communities and world-beating tourist destinations from London Euston, along the Chilterns Line and up to the West Midlands, North West and Scottish Borders.

“Since I was last here in 2021, the railway and the political landscape have changed. I am also a different person and will draw upon my new experiences to lead this fantastic region.

“While our focus must be to run the most safe, efficient and on time railway to build people’s trust and drive economic growth, I will bring a focus on track and train integration with our partners. This is to get the industry in a good shape ahead of the formation of Great British Railways.”

Jake is no stranger to NW&C. He has fond memories travelling by train to Liverpool Lime Street station as a child to see his family. The excitement of this journey remains to this day.

Later in 2015, as managing director of East Midlands Trains, Jake understood the complexities of the North’s railways, overseeing services that passed through central Manchester’s Castlefield corridor. He then joined Network Rail as NW&C’s passenger director in 2019, responsible for major enhancement projects, such as the Manchester Transformation plan, East West Rail and HS2 On Network works, as well as future West Coast Main Line passenger and freight services’ growth strategies. In 2021, he undertook a national role as Group Director for Network Rail’s system operator function before becoming Eastern’s regional managing director in 2023.

Senior customer service and commercial roles have also featured heavily in Jake’s career as part of his train operator background. Jake believes that delivering good customer service and being financially sustainable will attract more customers, help grow revenue and unlock environmental, economic and social benefits. Getting these basics right will galvanise the railway’s importance to the UK. This is especially important as the industry celebrates its 200^th birthday this year as part of Railway200.