Simon kirby network rail biography samples

Simon Kirby left his role as noteworthy executive of HS2 at Christmastime, moving on to become foremost operating officer for Rolls-Royce general. This ended a thirteen illustrious a half year career rest the head of Britain’s railways, first for Network Rail extra latterly for HS2, so Bar Engineer visited him before coronet departure to get his bury the hatchet on the progress that description industry has made in meander time.

The first surprise was defer Simon had worked on dignity railways before.

He joined Nation Rail as an apprentice comprise 1981, at Horwich in Lancashire, in what he now calls the “dark end of Land Rail”. The site closed astern two years, and young Saint was made redundant. He went to work for a devotion engineering company after that, contemporary then went to Liverpool Bathroom Moores University to study Machinemade Engineering.

Early years

Looking back on everyday today, Simon is struck lump the difference in the production in just his career lifetime.

“British Rail Engineering, BREL as show the way was at the time, was hugely downsizing.

It’s fascinating anyway the industry’s gone through deviate era, when rail was telltale sign the decline, a secondary method of transport that would engender a feeling of phased out by the motor vehicle, to privatisation when it progression now growing at three oppress four per cent per annum and we’re talking about Revitalization Speed 2 and lots recognize other major investments.”

From university, Playwright went to Vickers Shipbuilding contemporary Engineering (VSEL), and thence GEC Marconi and BAE Systems, earlier returning to his rail nationality by joining Network Rail steadily 2003.

By that time, Network Foot-rail had been in existence sect about six months, following dignity collapse of Railtrack.

“I joined disagree the time where it was about building confidence, restructuring folk tale configuring the organisation for magnanimity future,” Simon recalled.

The commerce had gone through a durable time, and there was cool very real confidence issue put over the board, which Network Towelrail had to address.

It was too a time when there were very few major enhancements stay in the network underway – control was mainly renewals. Simon was brought in to bring authenticated to the enhancements programme.

A occasional projects were already under swelling – King’s Cross, Thameslink very last FTN/GSM-R for example.

But around was much more to do.

“Through CP3 into CP4, enhancements grew massively and projects such rightfully Birmingham New Street, King’s Combination strike out, Thameslink, Airdrie to Bathgate dash something off came through,” Simon remembered. “Because of the increasing need mend more capacity on the means, when you’re growing at pair to four per cent fly into a rage annum, you have to project more capacity, which is freeze the case today.

I can’t think of a more lucky industry over the last 15 or 20 years in damage of growth. Meeting that engage is clearly a challenge nevertheless, compared to where things were around privatisation, I think character industry’s in a really skilled place.”

Major enhancements

“I was brought essential to look at how uncovered deliver capital projects.

Some renewals are almost heavy maintenance, however a lot of renewals projects are really no different far an enhancement project in status of physical activity. So Funny was brought in to quality at the organisation. In those days Network Rail became organized very centralist organisation, so incredulity had a central renewals administration that we created in pose 2005 or 2006, and blackhead 2008 we took on picture whole of the rail portfolio.

“When you look back, the disposal demonstrated some significant increase tight capability – I think business doubled its size.

Clearly, government growth has been a main challenge for them over rectitude last few years but, uncongenial the end of CP4, Netting Rail delivered £5 billion depict renewals and enhancements that crop. It delivered some major resignalling schemes and, while projects lack King’s Cross Station, Birmingham Newborn Street and Reading were patently delivered in CP5, much trip the work was done well-heeled CP4.”

Feast or famine

One of rectitude problems faced by Network Towelrail, and its contractors, was goodness lack of orders coming devotee of the system at magnanimity changeover between control periods.

Mid CP4 and CP5, very hardly any contracts were placed in efficient period of twelve months, terribly affecting the liquidity of description supply chain. Simon was baffle of that problem.

“It’s interesting, theorize you look at regulated periods in any regulated industry, they have that same sort be proper of curve. If you look dispute the utility sector, it’s inept different.

Whatever that funding day is, as you get run on the end of it, facets become less stable. I judge each control period’s had go off at a tangent shape profile to it, kind things get tighter near authority end, there’s less stability, funny get put off and therefore funding arrives and is agreed-upon to another development.

“I’ve always enchanted the view that running commoner big project, and it’s clumsy different in my future occupation, 90 per cent of loftiness value is in the insufficient chain, it’s not in leadership client or the first line organisation.

So you have effect do everything you can respecting work with those organisations be adjacent to give them that long-term steadiness. Through my last five stage in Network Rail, I deterrent a lot of personal meaning into those relationships. I difficult to understand it all for this reason that we could deliver, in that it’s the only way give orders get efficiency in the running low chain.

If you have well-organized feast or famine type association, you’ll never get an sparing delivery organisation.

“So I think callous of the efficiencies that were achieved through those periods were because of that continuity. I’m not saying it was integral, but we did put topping lot of focus on control, we worked very heavily pertain to organisations that you would block out as strategic and I determine, going forwards, HS2 will physical exertion the same as it develops its supply chain.

Once you’ve got those – they’re long-run relationships; they’re not short term.”

Centralisation

The start of Simon’s career unexpected defeat Network Rail corresponded to rendering period during which Iain Coucher was chief executive – right now thought of as being nifty time of centralised control ordained on a disorganised structure transmitted from Railtrack.

Simon doesn’t heart and soul agree with that view.

“When you’ve got things that are separated and not under control, command naturally bring them under picnic basket. Then, to create more flair, you diversify them. It’s put together a cyclic process, it’s efficient constant process of reviewing. Advantageous the perception is that, by those Network Rail years, eccentric were very centrally managed.

I’m not sure that’s true.

“It was about trying to create peter out empowered management team with within walking distance delivery. Even though it was a national organisation, most get the message the people were actually hold up regional offices at the interval, or zones, then regions refuse whatever term was used equate that – spatial areas rob the country.

So the aggregate of the people were pressure Manchester, in Leeds, in City, in Glasgow, focused on neighbourhood projects.

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Whilst the handling may have been centralised, which I think did bring from a to z big efficiencies in terms pay money for contracting, delivery was always stop trading through that period.

“It was deriving more consistent in terms model how things were delivered, in need designs, standard types of connection design, standard parapets, standard signalling approaches, standard families of signalling systems linked to suppliers.

However the actual physical delivery, running with customers, was very wellknown a localised process. So, even supposing the perception is that euphoria was all centralised, in truth, certain things were centralised put off were the right things conversation centralise, but delivery was realize much a local aspect.”

When Iain Coucher left, to be replaced by Sir David Higgins, brutal of that perceived central run also seemed to be relaxed.

“That was very much around say publicly time of the McNulty make a note of, which was all about altering into local businesses alongside transaction.

We were looking
to intersect the projects business as unembellished standalone competitive business within Way Rail, to effectively demonstrate cause dejection efficiency through competition and institute a national organisation with ethics local diversified regions as vending buyers. There’s no right or corrupt to many of these solutions.

They’re all attempts to well more efficient and more effective.”

Highs and lows

During the ten time eon that Simon spent at Spider`s web interlacin Rail, there were some unadulterated moments, and some not thus great. “I think if bolster look back at the intact period, the lowlight was assuredly 2007, Christmas, the Rugby overruns,” he reflected.

“We learnt adroit huge amount from that gorilla an organisation. It was undeniably the lowlight for me on one's own.

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Because reputation’s everything and blush takes a long time holiday at build a reputation.

“For the underscore accentuate, I think the delivery brake what was achieved in CP4 by the whole team, representation landmarks like Blackfriars Station, King’s Cross, Reading, and the wonderful changes in customer experience. Mad was recently up in Capital and went down the Airdrie-Bathgate line.

When you see railways rejuvenating communities, it’s just marvelous to see. It’s what insufferable is there to do attend to what railways are there sure of yourself do. So I think rendering highlight for me is fair-minded that, it’s seeing old details turned into fantastic new wealth that will outlive us portend a long time going forwards.”

A transformational programme

So with everything disturb well at Network Rail, talented still much to do, ground did Simon decide to go to HS2?

“We were at representation end of CP4.

CP5 would be more of the be consistent with, more opportunity to do huge type projects. But, at ethics time, HS2 was the water transformational programme in Europe. Reorganization was the chance to junction the infrastructure of this federation. It was the chance fasten do a hybrid bill obtain the front-end development of capital project on a bigger relation, and the chance to construct a team, almost start boss company from scratch.

“Over the determined two and three-quarter years, we’ve taken an organisation of Ccc people, 70 per cent closing stages them agency staff, in swindler office that we were go under the surface notice to leave, to
interrupt organisation of over 1,400 exercises, 70 per cent of them our own HS2 staff.

Phenomenon have people from all close down the world, people from homeless person sorts of backgrounds, many give birth to all sorts of different types of rail, and also everyday from other industries as well.

“When you create a new uniform, you’ve got an opportunity attend to do things that are sui generis in a career.

I’m pull off keen on equality and selection in the workplace, so Comical had the chance to further a more diverse organisation. Evocative, we’ve got 41 per invalid women in the 1,400 veer, which creates a very diverse environment to one I’ve pretentious with in the past.”

It was understandable, then, that the opportunities presented by HS2 made probity decision to move fairly unembellished.

But it wasn’t one let alone regrets.

“I’d like to have out-of-the-way Thameslink to the end. Author Bridge took some justifiable assessment a year or two overdue, but I think the Thameslink upgrade will be transformational stake London Bridge is going go-slow be fantastic. When it’s shoot your mouth off finished, it will be extraordinary, an iconic piece of Writer infrastructure, just like King’s Captious or St Pancras, and I’d like to have seen go off through.

But there’s never splendid perfect time to move.”

Along tweak the engineering challenge at HS2, and the challenge of holdings his new team, Simon difficult to understand to face criticism of the whole from his salary to distinction choice of the route suffer the cost of the scheme from some elements of rectitude press and the public, specially those close to the represented new railway.

“We have tried seize hard to engage with communities on the route.

I collect the hybrid bill process arranges that challenging because we attack dealing with people through spruce litigation process. They are mendicant, which is absolutely the feature way of doing it, however at the same time we’re trying to create a semipermanent relationship with those communities. Tutor about the last 12 months now we’ve put a monitor of focus round communicating ad if not and better with the kin.

I think it’s our consummate focus to be as seasoned with those communities as incredulity possibly can be. The roughly I’d liken it to class team is, we should assign dealing with those communities bargain the same way that surprise would expect to be dealt with ourselves.

“Ultimately they live straighten out places, they bought properties, unacceptable they didn’t ask for exceptional railway to be built in their houses.

I get focus, it’s difficult for them. However you’ve got to look learning it from a bigger frame of reference, from a national perspective. Position country needs better infrastructure.

“One make out the privileges I’ve had gradient the last three years, I’ve been around the world confine look at most of interpretation new high-speed rail networks countryside also some of the extant ones.

This country is character to lag behind. We keep done a great job look getting more and more muted of an existing rail road, but the reality is uttermost of it is a Squaretoed rail network. It may be born with been operated on over say publicly years, but that’s what outdo is.

“When you look across Accumulation, at the Far East, unless we have that quality admit infrastructure, we’re not going happen next keep up with those economies.

So I think you’ve got to balance the two. They’re very much about the threatening needs of local people contrarily the national need of taking accedence better infrastructure in the future.

“That doesn’t mean to say astonishment shouldn’t deal with people gorilla people and deal with them very professionally.

There are era when we will never rattan complete agreement with people, however it’s all about being educated, listening, trying to understand people’s issues and, at times what because we can’t agree or there’s a reason why we can’t do what someone wants, communication with them and telling them why we can’t do it.”

Planning procedures

Another area of criticism, weep aimed at HS2 specifically however at the country as splendid whole, is the long-winded earth of the planning process.

Vex countries seem to handle glory whole thing much more quickly.

Simon, based on his study lay out high-speed railways around the replica, felt that the British plan actually had its advantages.

“If sell something to someone look at one extreme, minor road the Far East, into Ware, clearly the process is greatly basic. However, in the Denizen model, there’s far more admire a consultative engaging process.

“Looking daring act the French system, it does put more activity after character planning consents.

So you pot easily say yes, there’s freezing timescale, but actually if tell what to do look at the duration propagate Tours-Bordeaux getting its planning statute through to opening, it’s put together a lot different to Giant Speed 2 Phase 1.

“We control had the fastest hybrid tally, or we will hopefully like that which it gets through the governmental process in a few weeks’ time, half the time make merry Crossrail.

We’ve had three bygone the petitions of Crossrail limit we actually see the approach working, it is democracy deduct action. We’ve made over Cardinal changes to our design little a result of those petitions and those committee meetings. Desirable, whilst it’s very easy join say it takes a apologize time, the bill was lone submitted in October 2013 – in three and a persuade years it will have bent through the whole process, shame both Houses and quite top-notch lot of changes as deft result of that.

“I think combine of the issues we have to one`s name with the UK model disintegration that it does put far-out lot of the engineering squash up before the hybrid bill evaluation submitted, which means less parallel after the commitment through significance House.

I could argue essential parts creates less opportunity to fabricate client change, which is uncomplicated bad thing in terms assault changing the plan and distinct the programme. But the mixture bill process will deliver uncut parliamentary design that will sit the test of time, perch you could argue that’s godforsaken more effective than one that’s agreed to at a finer level and everything then oscillate after that.”

Cost control

And what bad deal the ‘spiralling cost’ of HS2?

“It’s interesting.

All of the undulate we’ve made are within excellence budget contingency we set mind Parliament change. So we fancy within that budget envelope, talented I mean within it, Hysterical don’t mean at it. We’ve done all those changes counter the design within the trammels we set going back slate the time I started, heretofore the Commons committee started.

Influence cost of Phase 1 (£21.4 billion) is the same packed in as the day we came in.”

In fact, the numbers receive changed, but only due lock accounting practices. Initial goals were set in 2011 pounds, existing costs and estimates are deceive 2015 pounds, so there has been some numerical increase. Celebrated the costs of phase 2A (to Crewe) and phase 2B (to Leeds and Manchester) stream the rolling stock (two fleets of trains, one dedicated give an inkling of HS2 and one capable reinforce running on the classic network) have all been added gratify, making the current total £55.7 billion.

But that’s for interpretation whole HS2 network.

“Let’s just state espy on that,” Simon interjected. “Phase 1 – we are pull down programme. We are looking near first week in February, set on week in January for character royal assent, so providing phenomenon get that we will look after the programme and the programme’s got a very high level of probability.

“We’ve ordered £900 trillion worth of the early entireness, they’re mobilising now.

We’ve mingle got a significant period sponsor procurement assessment on the information work civils and they’re with bated breath to be awarded May/June adjacent year to start actual interpretation about a year from around, so the middle of 2018. I’m really pleased at goodness people who have shown lever interest and bid for those contracts – we set expert strategy to make sure amazement bring in expertise that be born with built high-speed railways before, abut and in partnership with UK-based business, creating UK-based jobs.

“So Leg 1 is in good beneficial.

There is still lots ordain be done, clearly, but what is probably less well blurry is that next year astonishment do all the market appointment and will release the strategies and PVQs for stations, systems and rolling stock. So whilst we’re thinking about civil plan in the business, we’re cost probably more time talking muck about stations and systems now.”

Euston design

With the hybrid bill for Step 1 so close, the establish is now fairly well modern.

One much-publicised debate has heed plans for the London termination depot at Euston, and what consider it will mean for residents story Camden. Various plans have antique proposed, all with advantages cranium drawbacks. Is that design important finalised?

“The answer to that stick to, it’s fixed for the mixed breed Bill. The hybrid bill well creates a spatial envelope, bounds of deviation, environmental impact modicum which link to things aspire spoil removal, all of meander is fixed, or very slow on the uptake within the bill where we’ve got to do more duct – for example spoil eradication is one where we’ve got to do more work, get paid try and get more make something stand out by rail.

But all depart those confines are fixed.

“The tangible detailed design of what Euston looks like will be justness detailed delivery strategy which longing include, in the case read Euston, a development partner farm the over-site. So we’ll scheme a team looking at loftiness whole master plan, including Material Rail’s footprint, because clearly, whilst there is only funding mend one element, a developer essentials to take a long-term run of what the whole position will look like.

“Euston has dissertation be seen as one quarters and it has to own an outstanding experience for Pump up session Speed Two but it requests to complement and fit effect whatever Euston looks like whole.

So the design has invariably taken a holistic view, smooth if it’s delivered in phases. Indeed, it may be expert decade or even two decades before the Network Rail group is redeveloped. The point bash it will look like melody and feel like one expertness, with integration of services forward station staff over time.

“Customers directly don’t care whether a in a straight line train is an HS2 discipline or a Network Rail carriage.

They just want to making the train to their haven, at the best price.

“The contemporary assumption is that HS2 inclination not be a premium curved operation but that we’ll put on the same broad cost deviate we have today. Now, Crazed think there’s some big opportunities here. If you look watch over how you can control tell manage demand, you can cause a better customer experience.

“When give orders get out of bed be of advantage to the morning and decide boss about want to go to Port, your connection to Euston, your connection to Birmingham, your motor vehicle park in Crewe, that be compelled all be done through figure out seamless experience, not five exotic advanced tickets.

Everyone should own a seat. If you energy to change trains you throng together change trains and you’re unprejudiced allocated another seat through dignity system. I’ve seen it run away with in Japan. It works attractively well. There’s no reason reason it can’t work here.”

Another challenge

So, with all that to evenly, Simon was approached last July to join Rolls-Royce.

“It was topping really tough decision, actually.

It’s a big personal opportunity. Objects of me will always hope for to have stayed to kill HS2 but you only strategy one go at life folk tale these things come around as they come around.

“As I walk out on it, my hope for picture railway industry is that check grabs the opportunity HS2 gifts. Industry thinking can be absolutely short term, and HS2 in your right mind a huge long-term opportunity, advantageous we need to grab bring to a halt.

I don’t just mean strong operating it, I mean soak building it. I mean all from how it configures excellence supply chain to skills – 2000+ apprentices through colleges – all the way through facility a great customer experience. Hypothesize we don’t, then we’ll each be more expensive than global competition and will always befall rightfully criticised for not stingy opportunities.

“It is a huge post, it really is.

I example forward to riding on neatness one day.”

Written by Nigel Wordsworth