Brown replaces Brown at London Rail

This from TfL...

Ian Brown, Managing Director, London Rail

Ian Brown, who has led London Rail with such great distinction over the last 10 years, has decided to retire from Transport for London.

In a career spanning over 40 years, Ian has made an outstanding contribution to public transport and the rail industry, and I know that he fully intends to remain active in the industry for many years to come.

In the meantime, I would like to acknowledge just some of the radical improvements delivered for passengers under Ian’s leadership:

• The transformation of the Docklands Light Railway, which has been integral to the growth of Canary Wharf and the wider redevelopment of east and south east London

• London Overground, established just three years ago, has improved services beyond all recognition, with new air conditioned trains, safe, fully staffed stations and massively increased customer satisfaction

• The East London line, reopened in May and linking Hackney and Croydon, is delivering huge economic and social benefits to some of the poorest boroughs in London and providing the first major stage in what will become London’s ‘orbital railway’

• Croydon Tramlink, taken into the TfL family and now providing an excellent service to passengers in south London

• Oyster pay as you go, now available for use on national rail services in Greater London, vastly improving convenience for millions of passengers

• A fresh and compelling vision for better use of the National Rail network in London, delivered through concrete improvements to franchises over the past few years, and has brokered an effective partnership with Network Rail which has delivered improvements

Ian has also been central to making the case for Crossrail and representing TfL’s interests as joint sponsor of the project, and also as future franchiser, as it has moved from the drawing board to implementation.

Over the years, Ian has made also made a wide contribution to the railway industry. In 2007, the Secretary of State for Transport appointed him to the Railway Heritage Committee where he is using his experience to preserve our railway heritage. In September 2009, Ian received an award for ‘an outstanding personal contribution to the rail industry’ at the National Rail Awards.

Ian will leave his current role after the TfL Board meeting on 4 November and take up an advisory role on London Rail and Crossrail until he leaves TfL on 31 March 2011. The way in which London Rail operates in the longer-term will be considered as part of our wider review of TfL’s organisational structure under Project Horizon.

In the meantime, Mike Brown will become Managing Director of London Rail, alongside his existing role of Managing Director of London Underground. Howard Smith will replace Ian as a joint TfL sponsor of Crossrail, with a mandate from Mike Brown. The Crossrail joint sponsor team which currently reports to Ian will transfer to Steve Allen, Managing Director of Finance.

I am sure that you will all join me in thanking Ian for everything he has done for London’s public transport, congratulating him on a remarkable career so far, and wishing him well for the future.

Peter Hendy
Commissioner
Transport for London

London to lose O'Toole?

A report from Railway Eye's International Correspondent:

Tim O'Toole, MD of LUL, looks set to return to his native America if a multi-billion dollar bid by UK Hedge Fund TCI for US Class 1 freight railroad CSX gets the green light.

O'Toole, 52, came to London in 2003 as part of a Mayor Ken Livingstone's inspired American invasion of Transport for London.

Recruited by controversial Transport Commisioner and vodka enthusiast Bob Kiley, O'Toole took the top Tube job after Gordon's ill-fated PPP had been imposed on the world's oldest metro. The resulting split between operations and infrastructure left O'Toole responsible for running the trains but not much more; a cause of frequent tensions with the new private sector infrastructure owners.

More at home with heavy freight than Oyster-card bearing Londoners he earned his spurs in Conrail, the cumbersome corporation created by the US government when the Penn Central ("Standard Railroad to the World") went tits up.

Conrail subsequently became part of CSX, the very corporation O'Toole is now tipped to be joining. He knows the patch, as they say. Or more likely where the bodies are buried.

O'Toole has been impressive at LU which carries over a billion passengers a year and he will be sorely missed. He was on duty when Islamic fundamentalists blew up three of his trains simultaneously and hardened LUL operators say he was a cool head in an unprecedented situation.

Finding a successor will be a challenge for BoJo and his New Best Mate Hendy.

Mike Brown (LUs current COO) has been headhunted by BAE to lift them out of the sticky brown stuff at Heathrow. Although his number two, Howard Collins, is made for the COO role the top job may elude him this time round..

Other possible contenders within the TfL empire include Ian Brown who currently runs the London Overground and DLR operations. Rumours continue to circulate that he is getting itchy feet after DfT blew a raspberry at TfL's plans to take over South London Metro services.

Perhaps the opportunity for Ian Brown to fold his "S-Bahn" empire into Tim O'Toole's "U-Bahn" may well keep him interested for a couple more years.

Loo Roll unrolls

Whilst TfL busies itself absorbing Metronet, and BoJo worries how to get the Big Grin Engine to cough up for Crossrail, it now looks as if the wheels are coming off at London Rail.

It's not been a happy ship over at the joint MTR/Laing Rail venture in recent weeks with a host of operating professionals voting with their feet.

The Fact Compiler hears that they are soon to be one short of an Operations Director as well.

One wonders how the news will play in Berlin and Honkers - if Shooter tells them of course.