Richard Allan appointed as new Managing Director for Chiltern Railways

The news that Chiltern Railways (the Arriva UK Trains company) has announced the appointment of Richard Allan as its new Managing Director, comes at a crucual time for the operator which 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.

Formerly People and Strategy Director and Deputy Managing Director at Northern Trains Limited, Richard will join Chiltern Railways in early October 2020 following a short handover. In his role as Deputy Managing Director, from 2016, Richard demonstrated his ability to lead a business in challenging times whilst shaping future strategy and engaging stakeholders.

Chris Burchell, Managing Director of UK Trains at Arriva, 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.”

On the subject of his appointment Richard said: “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.”

Mary Hewitt, UK Trains Strategy and Policy Director, has been acting as Interim Managing Director since the beginning of 2020, and will now return to her role at Arriva UK Trains on a part-time basis whilst she also undertakes a secondment to Network Rail, on behalf of RDG members, to lead the industry engagement in shaping the new 30-year Whole Industry Strategic Plan.

Chris said: “I would like to put on record my sincere thanks to Mary for undertaking the Interim Managing Director role. She has led the business with great skill through the all-encompassing operational and contractual challenges that have been encountered over the last nine months. I know that her personal leadership of the business has been warmly appreciated by everyone at Chiltern Railways.”