Q&A: RICHARD BROWN
passengers; hearing their feedback, comments and suggestions whether they are good or bad. It is just as important and stimulating for me to hear people’s concerns and criticisms, because it is only when you understand what your passengers think needs to be put right, can you actually put it right. And if it weren’t for these people, I wouldn’t be here.
If you could change anything about the rail industry, what would it be and why? I would like to see the rail industry change the way it communicates with its public to be more articulate and include more everyday language. When you hear some of the PA announcements on board the trains they are not delivered in a way in which people would normally talk to each other. We use jargon in a way that actually doesn’t help people’s understanding or appreciation of the railways. I think a more personal touch is required.
What is the best advice you’ve been given? One thing that has stood me in quite good stead from when I was a management trainee, someone told me, ‘Richard, you never know when you might need friends.’ So I’ve always had a policy of being in a position where other people might owe me the favour, as you never know when you might want to call it in! Never make an enemy of somebody needlessly, cultivate friends and supporters because you don’t know when you might need them.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in the industry?
The best advice I could give to someone branching into the industry
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would be to get the most broad experience possible; particularly customer facing experience and sharp end operations.
What inspires you?
Passengers and customers. The thing that inspires me is when I see that more and more people are using the service, because if more people are using it, then we must be getting something right. Having happy passengers inspires us to do even better.
“…we moved the whole operation overnight pretty seamlessly. We achieved 94% punctuality on the first day of running, which included not only a new timetable, but a new route, a new station and a new maintenance facility.”
What law/legislation would you like to see introduced? None. I think the law is seldom a solution to anything! I think we have too many!
Where do you see the UK rail industry in 10 years? I think potentially in a very exciting place. There is a massive level of investment going into the industry over the next ten years with Themeslink, Crossrail, electrification, the Northern Hub, Reading and Birmingham remodelling. It is quite extraordinary and one thing that disappoints me is that the industry does not seem to appreciate the scale of it. I see it as a bigger, more successful and popular industry by a significant margin by ten years’ time. I am quite confident in saying we will have the best railway in Europe in ten years’ time.
Images: Eurostar
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