Carne to retire
NR Chief Executive Mark Carne is to leave his post this summer, but will lead discussions on Strategic Business Plan for CP6.
Network Rail Chief Executive Mark Carne is to retire, and will leave his post this summer.
NR Chairman Sir Peter Hendy will lead the search for his replacement, which will begin shortly. The company said the timing of the announcement means Carne’s replacement will be established before the start of Control Period 6 on April 1 2019.
The Strategic Business Plan for CP6 was due to be sent to the Office of Rail and Road by the agreed deadline of February 9 (after this issue of RAIL went to press), and NR said it would be published soon after. Carne will lead the discussions with the ORR regarding this work.
Carne joined NR in January 2014, and his first official engagement was to reopen the Dawlish Sea Wall in April that year. During his tenure NR was reclassified into the public sector, while major projects included London Bridge and Birmingham New Street. But various electrification projects have been delivered late, including Edinburgh-Glasgow and the North West wires, while Great Western electrification costs have risen from £800 million to £2.8 billion and are set to rise still further.
“Mark has done an outstanding job,” said Hendy. “His leadership steadied the ship during the challenging transition to a public sector organisation, and he has been the architect behind the huge positive changes in the company, driving transformation, devolution and efficiency, with an emphasis on equality and diversity.“
Secretary of State for Transport Chris Grayling said: “His focus on devolving power to Network Rail’s route businesses has built the foundations for a more efficient and passenger-focused organisation which supports the Government’s agenda to bring track and train closer together.”
Carne said: “Britain’s railways matter to the lives of millions of people. The men and women who run the railway are enormously committed, and it has been a privilege to lead the organisation at a time of huge investment and transformational change.”