COMMENT
Andy Street, managing director of John Lewis and a Birmingham native himself, said: “Network Rail are the body enabling this to happen, through the imagination and foresight around the Gateway Project. We need to make sure this does happen on the timetable we have set.”
He admitted the negotiations have “not been the best-kept secret”, but said it gave him pleasure to confirm that all of the ru- mours are true.
It is the company’s first new department store for six years, and the first since the credit crunch began.
Street added: “Birmingham has won the race to reignite our development pro- gramme.”
Higgins has a huge amount on his plate over the coming years, with infrastructure projects like Crossrail, Thameslink, HS2, the New Street and Reading rebuilds, the internal restructure and new focus on business units, an increasing emphasis on
safety and accountability, and potentially the fall-out from the investigation into financial affairs at the organisation un- der the previous regime. There is also the Government’s new franchising proposals to consider, alongside funding over the next financial control period.
Speaking to MPs on the Transport Committee in March 2011, Higgins also emphasised the importance of Network Rail’s proposed ‘Northern Hub’ to boost capacity and service frequency in the North West and Yorkshire, alongside a vastly improved Manchester Victoria sta- tion. He called the project “absolutely es- sential” and a “top priority”.
On his first day in charge at Network Rail, Higgins said: “My priorities are to drive further a culture of safety, to get even bet-
“To make the next series of efficiency gains, we have to really look at our organisational efficiency and how we make decisions.”
Above: John Lewis managing director Andy Street, Birmingham City Council leader Mike Whitby and Network Rail chief executive David Higgins on location where New Street is being rebuilt
Left: The three men signing the heads of terms agreement
ter value for money for the British people and to be more attuned to the needs of our customers and passengers. I also want peo- ple to associate these words with Network Rail: Open. Transparent. Accountable. Responsive.
“I must pay tribute to previous and cur- rent members of Network Rail’s leadership team for all their hard work that has turned around the railway.
“Now we start a new chapter and over the next few months I will make further an- nouncements about what Network Rail will do differently in the future as it seeks to build trust.”
He has since admitted he is “not an expert” on the industry, compared to the staff al- ready working for Network Rail, but said that “bitter experience” as a manager has taught him the importance of accountabil- ity, discipline and leadership.
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