interview
the RAiL pRofessioNAL iNteRView
RichARd
RobiNsoN
MANAgiNg diRectoR of heAthRow expRess
It’s not unusual for senior managers of Tocs to
photographs: siMon weir
have cut their managerial teeth running other
types of transport, but Richard Robinson has
The youthful managing director – he is just 36 – joined
Heathrow Express in May from an internet-based ticket
entered the transport sector for the first time retailer. A chemical engineer by background, he cut his teeth
at ICI, before doing an MBA and moving to mining company
as an MD. Katie silvester takes a trip on
Anglo American.
Heathrow Express with him
So, why did he fancy running Heathrow Express when it
was such a complete change from what he’d done before?
‘Heathrow Express is a super strong brand: customer
focused, with a good web operation, and a very strong safety
H
eathrow Express is the only mainline railway and operations part of the business. If you look at my skill
service in Britain that has never been franchised. set from my early career to the present, it ticked a lot of boxes
In the sunset days of British Rail, BAA, the owner and it was really going to give me the opportunity to grow my
of Heathrow Airport, paid for a new rail link from the Great commercial experience.
Western Main Line to Heathrow Airport and in 1998 BAA ‘Heathrow Express is unusual for a rail company in a lot
began running trains along the new route under the brand of ways. It’s had a lot of firsts technologically, lots of firsts
name Heathrow Express. In fact, compared to the franchised operationally and service wise. With the company landing
Tocs that span the rest of the country, Heathrow Express’s on the ground, as it were, 10 years ago, a lot of our frontline
set up is closer to the way that the Victorian railways were staff weren’t from the rail industry, although lot of middle
originally built and run, with private companies spotting a and senior management are. Culturally, the company is open
niche in the market, putting down some tracks and running and welcoming to new people.’
their own trains along it. BAA originally paid £350m for its link to Heathrow –
Managing director Richard Robinson is proud of all the the section it built is all tunnelled. More recently, a spur to
technological firsts that Heathrow Express can claim and Terminal 5 was added, with the Mott McDonald built-line
would be horrified at the Victorian analogy. Heathrow passing underneath the Piccadilly line twice. I met Robinson
Express’s Siemens Desiros – bought, not leased – were at Paddington, so that I could interview him on the train and
the first post-privatisation trains to be used that were not see Terminal 5 at the other end. The state-of-the-art station at
designed by BR, Robinson tells me. And it was the first Terminal 5 is just a short elevator ride away from the airport
operator to offer on-board television screens. proper. The blue lights shining up from the track onto the
22 rail professional : JANUARY 2010
RPJan10 pp22-25 Interview.indd 22 10/12/09 15:27:37
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