Timing of departing rail boss’s honour is criticised
THE OUTGOING boss of Network Rail has been included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List amid major disruption on the railway.
Chief executive Mark Carne will be made a CBE for services to the rail industry, which has struggled to cope since the introduction of new timetables on May 20.
The number of trains either cancelled or more than 30 minutes late on Northern and Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) routes averaged 11 per cent and 13 per cent respectively in the first two weeks of the new timetables.
Performance on some lines was significantly worse, with many commuters having to wait on platforms for several hours.
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling has predominantly blamed the disruption on Mr Carne’s Network Rail, the Government-owned company responsible for maintaining Britain’s rail infrastructure.
The decision to bestow a Royal honour on the boss against a backdrop of huge disruption for train passengers in recent weeks has been criticised.
The Department for Transport admitted the timing of the announcement of the outgoing chief executive’s award for services to the rail industry following timetabling issues is “unfortunate” but added that recent problems should not detract from his overall service.
Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs Association, said: “Frustrated passengers will see no honour in that at all.”
Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy said: “Clearly the timing of this award is difficult given current industry issues and their effects on passengers, but we should take a step back and look at Mark’s whole career, and particularly his record over the past four and a half years and recognise, as this award does, his tremendous contribution to our railway.”