Arriva Group
Leading the Arriva Group into life after franchising UK Trains Managing Director David Brown on the need for a more passenger-centric railway
D
avid Brown is under no illusions as to the challenges facing the owners of Chiltern, CrossCountry and Grand Central. He picks up the baton as Arriva Group’s UK Trains Managing Director in the COVID pandemic era, when passenger numbers have been decimated, and just as the government announced the end of rail franchising. But David isn’t one to get daunted by the task ahead – instead, ready and raring by the prospect to shape the future of rail in this country. “I’m really excited about leading Arriva’s UK Train business at such a critical time for our industry, and I fully recognise the significant challenges we face as a result of COVID-19 and the impact it has had on the public transport sector as a whole,” he said. Rising to challenges “Throughout 2020, everyone in rail has done an amazing job rising to the challenges the pandemic has thrown at us. Frontline staff in particular, deserve praise for how they’ve adapted to the situation and kept vital services running. It’s been a hard year – but we must remain resilient and adaptable as there will be many challenges ahead. “Public transport will play a vital role in the country’s economic recovery and Arriva will be at the heart of this as we help get the country
moving again, while also looking to the future of our railways and working closely with government to deliver reform.” It is that reform which will be at the forefront of David’s mind as MD. Train operating companies are currently a few months into Emergency Recovery Management Agreements (ERMA), put in place by the Department for Transport to ensure continuity of operations while passenger numbers remain impacted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. It is a move which also marks the beginning of the end of rail franchising after 24 years in a bid to bring Britain’s fragmented network back together. “I think it’s been generally accepted that the franchising system needed to come to an end, but now we must quickly look to the future,” said David. “The ERMAs are an important stepping-stone as we transition away from franchising towards a fully reformed operating model, but my concern is the sector’s ability to respond fast enough to the change in passenger behaviour, with less commuting and more home-working. “COVID has accelerated a trend we were already seeing, so the railways must now accelerate a response. I want to see a more passenger-centric railway and I don’t believe there is a ‘one-size-fits-all solution’. Government must use the individual expertise of the TOCs to
drive the right solutions for the different parts of the market. “The right solution for TfL’s London commuters will be different to users of long-distance rail services like those provided by CrossCountry. Diverse expertise “We only need to look at aviation and how it has evolved its service, its use of technology and its fares and ticketing structures, to recognise the different needs of passengers on domestic versus short-haul or long-haul services. As owners of Chiltern, CrossCountry and Grand Central, Arriva
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20 | December 2020
railbusinessdaily.com
