New national centre open for business

The first of around 3,000 people have moved into The Quadrant:MK putting Milton Keynes at the centre of Britain’s railway operations and helping to cut £ms a year from the cost of running the railway.

The new building brings together teams from across the country under one eco-friendly roof, improving the way we coordinate activities to build a bigger and better railway.

Structural reform

The move to Milton Keynes is part of a programme of structural reform which has seen day-to-day control of the railway devolved to local level, and a new, regional infrastructure projects business created. Sitting at the centre of our operations, the national centre will provide support to the routes and regions based in places such as York, Glasgow, Cardiff and Birmingham. Moving so many people to a single location will save us tens of millions of pounds a year in office rental costs.

Delivering a better, more efficient railway

David Higgins our chief executive, said: “The national centre is at the heart of our plans to improve the way we work and will help deliver a better and more efficient railway for passengers and freight. We’ll be bringing 3,000 people who play an integral part in the running of the railway into one location, complementing the changes we have already made to our business to bring us closer to our customers and more responsive to their needs.

“This is an exciting time for the rail industry. Over the next ten years, Britain’s rail traffic will increase by around a third, making ours the fastest growing railway in Europe. The railway is vital to Britain’s future economic success – connecting commerce and communities across the country. Our people based in Milton Keynes will play an integral part in its transformation.”

Fact file

The 400,000 sq ft Quadrant:MK is at the forefront of new office developments in the country and is one of the most sustainable buildings in the country, with a combination of cutting-edge design and the latest environmentally-friendly features. The building is naturally ventilated with little reliance on air conditioning, uses recycled rainwater to flush toilets and draws power and heating from the local district energy scheme.

The national centre brings together our support functions:

• Asset management (asset information, building and civils, track, telecoms, engineering, signalling and power)
• Finance
• Human resources
• Information management
• National Delivery Service
• Network operations (including infrastructure maintenance services)
• Group strategy
• Property
• Safety and sustainable development
• Contracts and procurement