Northern’s new MD meets Tees Valley Mayor on rail services

Credit: Northern

Northern has announced that its new Managing Director, Tricia Williams, met with Tees Valley Mayor, Ben Houchen, to discuss the future of rail services in the Tees Valley region. The meeting focused on key topics including the mayor’s priorities for rail, strategies to encourage customers to return to rail, Northern’s role in fostering economic growth and social inclusion, as well as the company’s primary focus areas: purpose, people and transformation.

A significant part of the discussion revolved around the increasing number of apprenticeship opportunities at Northern, which now represent approximately 10% of its workforce in the Tees Valley. They also explored potential future demand for rail services in the region.

Challenges impacting Northern’s performance, such as high levels of staff sickness and the need for continual recruitment and training due to staff moving to long-distance operators, were also addressed.

Tricia Williams, Managing Director of Northern, said: “I’m grateful to Mayor Houchen for the opportunity to sit down and discuss rail services across the Tees Valley. We had the chance to exchange views on a number of important topics, not least of all the vital role that both of us see rail playing in the growth agenda for the region.”

Mayor Ben Houchen said: “We have huge ambitions to improve how we get around Teesside, Darlington and Hartlepool – and we’re always striving to forge better links with the rest of the country. We’ve already invested in three of our major stations at Darlington, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool – and we’ve our sights on breathing new life into more.”

Highlighting the collaborative efforts, Houchen added, “We’ve had a good working relationship with Northern – and we’re always looking to secure routes for the future, improve our network now, and make it easier for local people on their journeys. I look forward to that relationship continuing with Tricia at the helm.”

Northern regularly collaborates with the Tees Valley Combined Authority, TransPennine Express and Network Rail on a monthly basis to discuss enhancements of existing stations and address issues related to line speed and capacity improvements. Northern operates 23 stations in the Tees Valley, managing 19 of them.

Tricia Williams, who joined Northern as Chief Operating Officer in 2020, stepped into the role of Managing Director earlier in 2024. Northern is the second-largest train operator in the UK, offering 2,500 services daily to over 500 stations across the North of England.