Leading the £2.2 billion transformation of the railways in Anglia

Network Rail’s Ellie Burrows on the major work involving over 2,600 workers and 1,700 miles of track

Major changes are well underway to provide a safe and high-performing railway for passengers in Cambridge, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and East London.

The £2.2 billion transformation, which runs until 2024, is focused on renewing and maintaining existing infrastructure, leading to fewer delays and improved reliability for passengers.

Leading the project is Ellie Burrows, who this month has marked her first anniversary since being appointed as Network Rail’s Route Director for Anglia.

Ellie Burrows

Network Rail

“It certainly wasn’t the normal first year in the job,” said Ellie. “It has been challenging but also a great opportunity to quickly understand how the organisation works under pressure and get a grasp of our strengths and areas for improvement.

“We have delivered a lot over the last year and throughout all of this delivered a high level of reliability to our passengers and users. That’s down to the amazing teams across Anglia, who never fail to impress.”

In the last 12 months, Network Rail has completed many large-scale projects as part of the Anglia transformation. This has included replacing the overhead wires on the Southend Victoria line, replacing 57 pairs of wheel timbers across four bridges near Manea and capacity has been doubled on the Fen Line.

This has been alongside maintenance work such as track renewals on the Wherry Lines and East Suffolk Line and at Somerleyton, Maryland and Brampton. Two consultations have also commenced for Ely area enhancement and Cambridge South.

Making a difference

“I’m very excited to be Route Director for the transformation,” said Ellie. “This is a really ambitious plan in Anglia that will make a difference for our passengers, freight services, stakeholders and teams and we are all really focused on doing this.

“We have installed new overhead wires on the Great Eastern Main Line and on the Southend Victoria line, which is already improving reliability throughout the summer months.

“It’s not just the large-scale projects that make a difference for passengers. This year we have installed new seating at Liverpool Street, something that might seem small in comparison to a large-scale renewal, but it’s something that is really important to our passengers.

“This work continues throughout 2021. We are continuing to invest in and improve Liverpool Street station, we’re installing a new signalling system on the Clacton-on-Sea branch line and we continue to work on plans for improvements at Ely and a new station at Cambridge South.

“Our operators all have really ambitious plans around new rolling stock introductions. The investment and opportunity this provides to our passengers across Anglia is huge and really exciting.”

The major changes are a big and complicated undertaking involving over 2,600 colleagues – plus many more from the supply chain – and in excess of 1,700 miles of track, as well as signalling systems, control rooms, sets of points, level crossings, bridges, viaducts, overhead electrical lines and new stations.

“We want to deliver the safest, best possible service to our passengers and freight customers, and that means putting ourselves in their shoes,” said Ellie.

This is a really ambitious plan in Anglia that will make a difference for our passengers, freight services, stakeholders and teams

“We know that ultimately when passengers get on a train they want to arrive on time, and that’s why we’re investing in track renewals, overhead wire renewals and structures work, to improve reliability across the network.

"But in addition to that, we want to offer the extras that make journeys even more enjoyable and convenient, and at Liverpool Street this year (2021), we’ll roll out free unlimited WiFi, smart new entrance matting to help reduce slips and trips on the concourse and upgraded cycle storage with increased capacity.

We have incredible teams of people who are crucial to delivering this. We want them all to go home safe every day and that’s why we have invested in a programme to ensure safety is at the heart of planning and delivering.”

Using her experience

Ellie’s up for the challenge that lies ahead, using over 20 years’ experience in the UK rail industry in a wide variety of roles, including Area Director at Network Rail, and more recently, as Train Services Director at Southeastern.

She said: “I didn’t have trainsets as a kid, but I did study economics and was interested in the environmental and economic benefits of railways whilst studying. I then ended up temping as a telephone operative for Rail Enquiries whilst at university, and when leaving university applied for a role in Network Rail. The rest is history.

“My previous experience has helped with the current role. Apart from being a really great job with a fantastic team, the time I spent at Southeastern also enabled me to really understand the motivations, pressures, and challenges that our train operators experience.

“This has really helped me to understand how we can work better together to deliver safely for our passengers. I am able to support my team to put themselves in our operators’ shoes and consider better ways forward.

“Having worked outside of Network Rail, I understand those non-intentional frustrations that train operators and stakeholders have with working with a large organisation – which is something I am working to improve. The railway is a system, far greater than just what Network Rail, train or freight operators do individually. Being able to understand this more fully is really valuable to me and hopefully my customers.”

Another passion of Ellie’s is to encourage more women to aspire into a career in the railways. As well as people taking inspiration from her success, Ellie is also mentoring individuals and supporting programmes that are encouraging diversity in the industry. In recent months, over 100 organisations in the industry have joined forces in signing the Women in Rail and Railway Industry Association’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion charter, and it is this kind of initiative that is accelerating change.

Female role models

“When I joined the industry nearly 20 years ago, there weren’t many senior female role models,” she said. “I’m really proud of how much that has changed over this period though there is still lots more to do to make the leadership of our industry more diverse and inclusive. I haven’t had too many issues over the years, but when I’ve had issues, I’ve called them out.

“I have been lucky to meet lots of great people along my journey who have supported me to deal with some of these artificial boundaries and who have pushed me to keep going. I try hard to repay that kindness now mentoring individuals and supporting programmes. It is so important that we are all part of the change. It’s still true to say that many young girls don’t dream of joining the industry. We know lots of areas of our organisation are still perceived to be male dominated and in some areas they still are.

“We need to change that narrative, make sure we talk about and demonstrate the great opportunities in rail, demonstrate that you can do senior roles in our industry with children, and that it’s a place where it’s really possible to make a difference. I really enjoy my job – I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t. I learn every day, I work with fantastic people and every day we make a difference. There aren’t many industries and roles that can offer so much and so many opportunities and we need to get that message out.”