National Rail Awards
Accolades deservedly go to Network Rail‘s chairman and South Western Railway’s longest-serving employee.
SIR PETER HENDY CBE - chairman of Network Rail, former London Transport Commissioner, and now National Rail Awards Outstanding Personal Contribution winner - tells PAUL STEPHEN how he feels privileged to have spent nearly 45 years in the rail industry… with more to come
Network Rail Chairman Sir Peter Hendy CBE is one of the most decorated people currently operating in the UK transport sector.
During an illustrious career that has spanned almost 45 years, the one-time London Transport graduate trainee has worked his way up to serve as London’s Commissioner for Transport before becoming - in 2015 - the man tasked with guiding and overseeing the reshaping of NR.
Along the way, he was appointed a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) for the crucial role he played in keeping London’s transport system moving following the shocking terrorist attacks that were carried out in the capital in July 2005.
He was then knighted eight years later for successfully preparing and then leading the same transport network through the stresses and strains posed by the global spectacle of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Hendy now has a RAIL National Rail Award to add to this list of honours, following the judging panel’s decision to recognise his long and distinguished service with this year’s Outstanding Personal Contribution accolade in the Senior Management category.
This much-deserved NRA places him in esteemed company, with previous winners of the award including HM Chief Inspector of Railways Ian Prosser, Great Western Railway Managing Director Mark Hopwood, and Bechtel Senior Vice President Ailie MacAdams.
Describing the moment during the NRA ceremony at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on September 19 when his name was called out, Hendy says: “I’m very proud, and it was done in the best possible way as I didn’t know anything about it. I’m also very touched to be recognised by such an impressive group of judges.”
Known and widely respected for his straight-talking style and honesty, Hendy is humble about his achievements, which also include being a trustee of the London Transport Museum, Chairman of the London Legacy Development Corporation and the London Freight Enforcement Partnership, and President of the London Bus Museum.
He is also International President for the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and is a fellow of both the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transport and the Institute of Civil Engineers.
He also holds honorary doctorates from four different universities and has rubbed shoulders not just with royalty, but with other high-profile public figures including former London Mayor and Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
But he is clear that none of this success would have been achievable without the collective strength and commitment shown by the various workforces he has been a part of, or that he has been appointed to lead.
He adds: “It’s very important that I say that none of the things I’ve been given can be solely attributed to myself. They are a reflection on the endeavours of thousands of people who have worked for me in all weathers, and an accolade for the organisations I’ve led.
“I tell my kids that all my awards are going to go to a museum, because they have been won for the people who work for Transport for London and Network Rail. If you’re a successful leader then it is probably partly because of what you know, but also the willingness of people who work for you.”
Hendy’s NRA trophy now takes pride of place on the desk in his office at Waterloo station - flanked by pictures of the two original London ‘Routemaster’ doubledecker buses that he has preserved, plus the locomotive (GB Railfreight 66718) that now carries his name.
Glancing at these pictures, he suggests that his crowning achievement has probably been to have had the special privilege of being able to combine his lifelong passion for both buses and trains with a long, happy and successful professional career.
“This NRA is a reminder that for many people the railway is not just a job, it’s a vocation. I’ve done 44 years and, quite often, people don’t have to do that… they want to. The railway is an institution, and it is wonderful that it’s like that.
“Most days I really enjoy it, and it’s lovely to be able to do something that you enjoy. As a schoolboy I never really intended to run NR
or London Transport, but I’m an enthusiast. And these jobs are not just about numbers, but people and technology, which are fascinating.
“The railway is a really complex thing to understand as it’s a technical, mechanical and electrical system, and a fantastic geographic system, conducted in the public arena. It’s been a lifelong fascination for me.”
Upon joining NR four years ago, Hendy’s first task was to conduct a review into the organisation’s troubled programme of investment for Control Period 5 (April 2014March 2019).
The subsequent overhaul of NR’s enhancements portfolio ensured NR stayed within its funding envelope, while earlier this year he succeeded in his bid to help secure a record £48 billion from government for CP6.
Alongside former NR Chief Executive Mark Carne and current incumbent Andrew Haines, Hendy is also responsible for helping guide NR through its ongoing transformation to becoming a more devolved, customerfocused and service-driven organisation.
This is likely to continue following the long-awaited publication of the government-commissioned Rail Review, whose independent chairman Keith Williams is widely expected to recommend a significant restructuring of the industry.
Looking to the future, Hendy says he welcomes the prospect of change - whatever the final outcomes of the Williams Review.
And in a nod to the next generation of railway leaders, he believes that record levels of investment and passenger numbers will ensure the continued health of the industry, and that UK rail is an attractive destination for new talent.
“The future of the railways is fantastic, the prospects post-Williams are fantastic, and I’m optimistic that Keith Williams will produce a report that has a significant effect on system operation,” he says.
“Neither Andrew Haines nor I are precious about NR as an institution, but the railway is in a good position. It is full of freight, passengers and trains, and it’s also a very durable product. If you join today and are prepared to be flexible, then you have a job for life - which is fairly remarkable.
“The prospects now are better than when I came to NR in July 2015, and Keith Williams will produce an organisation of the railways that is more fit for the 21st century.”
Hendy’s final word is reserved for RAIL Managing Editor and Events Director Nigel Harris, whom he praised in a speech at the awards ceremony in September for his role in co-creating, co-hosting and helping organise all 20 outings of the NRA since its debut in September 2000.
A specially made Outstanding Personal Contribution NRA trophy was then subsequently presented to Harris by Hendy at RAIL’s National Rail Conference, held in London on November 12 ( RAIL 892).
Explaining why he felt it was so important to share some of the limelight, Hendy says: “I think that 20 years running the NRA is a big deal, and a lot of hard work. It’s become a great institution, and a well-managed celebration of railway staff who have done wonderful things. That is well worth celebrating - and Nigel Harris has been in the thick of that.
“I also like RAIL because it looks forward. The railways are not just about nostalgia, and what I like to do is to look ahead.”
Most days I really enjoy it, and it’s lovely to be able to do something that you enjoy.