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Network Rail’s new bossDavid Higgins began his tenure with a major announcement on the Birmingham New Street redevelopment. He spoke to RTM about his vision for the organisation under his command...


D


avid Higgins did not wait long to make his first major announce- ments.


The new chief executive of Network Rail was building on work done by his predeces- sors, on both the organisation’s internal structure and one of its biggest infrastruc- ture projects – the Gateway Project to re- build Birmingham New Street station.


On Friday, February 18, he revealed more about the organisation’s new ‘devolution’ model, giving more autonomy to several di- rectors running individual ‘business units’, each with a multi-million pound budget under their control.


Just three days later, he visited Birmingham to make a joint declaration with city council leader Mike Whitby and John Lewis man- aging director Andy Street about the retail- ers’ giant new store that will be built inside the new station.


Higgins told Rail Technology Magazine: “My first three weeks – it’s been busy. Network Rail is a complex, large-scale or- ganisation and the key thing is to ensure that we can further release the capacity of all the people who work in our organisa- tion.


“The organisation has made tremendous strides in the last eight years from where it was to get where it is today. But to make the next series of efficiency gains, we have to really look at our organisational efficiency and how we make decisions.


“The announcement of our new project, ‘devolution’, which is empowering our peo- ple who deal with our customers, is vitally important.”


Network Rail is also involved in many other redevelopment and infrastructure projects, with the New Street regeneration being one of the biggest.


Asked about other station projects which could be revitalised with investment and commitment from private-sector partners, Higgins said: “Look at St Pancras. That’s


18 | rail technology magazine Feb/Mar 11


a fabulous story of a station which has be- come a destination in itself.”


He added: “Essentially, the heads of terms agreement is between Birmingham City Council and John Lewis, but clearly we were a key partner of Birmingham City Council in our ownership of New Street station and our investment in the station. We will look at how this new investment by the council gives us a chance to further en- hance that partnership.


“What was a station in serious need of in- vestment will now become the core of the whole city.”


David Higgins started work on February 1


Rail Technology Magazine has been chart- ing the progress of the station rebuild, known as the Gateway Project. Network Rail is promising a larger station with three-and-a-half times more space for pas- sengers in a “giant, light-filled atrium” with brighter platforms and a “stunning” new exterior, all completed by 2015.


The regeneration promises to reconnect the city’s north and south sides, without ever involving more than one platform clo- sure at a time. The new station concourse being constructed in a former car park next to the station will be opened by 2012, after which the existing station concourse will be completely redeveloped over the next three years.


As part of this project, the new four-floor, £3 million John Lewis store will open at the station in 2014.


Higgins said: “Network Rail is helping to rebuild Birmingham by transforming New Street. The project is about much more than simply redeveloping the sta- tion. Today’s deal is a further sign that our plans are critical to the long term success of the city and will create new jobs and help stimulate economic growth. These exciting changes are happening as a direct result of the investment being made to improve Birmingham’s transport infrastructure.”


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