New Sydney Trains Will Have New Rail Boss From London

I'm a little bit late to advise of these news - yet better late then never!

Here is the story from Rail  Express,  New CEO of Sydney trains Howard Collins:

London Underground boss to run Sydney Trains

by Rail Express — last modified Feb 20, 2013 12:52 PM

— filed under: Weekly Top Stories, Rail

As part of it plans to reform passenger rail services in New South Wales, the state government has announced the appointment of London Underground chief operating officer, Howard Collins as the CEO of Sydney Trains.

   

London Underground's Collins to tackle Sydney Trains. Image: BBC

Following a worldwide search, NSW minister for transport Gladys Berejklian said the appointment is a “massive coup” for Sydney.

“The fact we were able to attract someone of Mr Collins’ calibre is a significant sign of confidence in the reforms we are undertaking,” NSW Berejiklian said.

“Mr Collins’ job will be to deliver a world class rail network for Sydney and bring in a new era of customer-focused culture.

“He has an excellent reputation in the industry, having been accountable for the daily operations of the entire London Underground network.

“His background includes a proven record in delivering quality, integrated public transport, including involvement as a senior executive in operations and customer service, security, electronic ticketing and reform.”

From July 1, Sydney Trains and NSW Trains will replace RailCorp, with Sydney Trains serving customers on the greater Sydney suburban network.
Collins will be tasked with delivering a customer-first culture, which Berejiklian said will ensure Sydney’s trains are as safe as possible and will deliver better value for money for taxpayers – the objectives that are set out in the government’s Fixing the Trains reforms.

Collins has enjoyed a 35-year career with London Transport, including the development of an integrated transport system with Transport for London.

He was lead director for London Underground and London Rail for the London Olympic Games in 2012, for which he was made an OBE.

Collins said he was looking forward to the opportunity of working in Sydney.
“Sydney is a world class city and I am looking forward to working with the NSW Government to deliver a world class rail system,” he said.

“I met with minister for transport Gladys Berejiklian in Sydney last week and I have a good understanding of the challenge ahead - one that I look forward to tackling very much.”

He will reportedly receive $530,000 a year in his new role.

Collins told the DailyTelegraph he was surprised how tough transport was for Sydneysiders on a visit two weeks ago, saying things had worsened since 2006.

"When I travelled it reminded me of the London Underground 25 years ago in terms of the ticketing, the technology, the environment," he said.

Rob Mason appointed CEO of NSW Trains

The new CEO for NSW Trains, which will meet the needs of intercity rail commuters and CountryLink rail and bus passengers, will be current RailCorp CEO Rob Mason.

Berejiklian says NSW Trains will:

• Be managed by dedicated regional customer service management teams.
• Improve the quality and amenity of trains, stations and passenger information.
• Be strongly focused on ensuring local customer needs are met.
• Be focused on running intercity and regional passenger trains, regional coaches and stations.
• Have a permanent presence within the Rail Management Centre to advocate for intercity and regional services and ensure they receive adequate network priority to reduce late running and delays.