Chiltern announces appointment of new Engineering and Safety Director

Chiltern Railways, the Arriva UK Trains company has announced the appointment of Ian Hyde as its new Engineering and Safety Director. Chiltern, which holds a rail franchise until 2021, runs services between London Marylebone and the Midlands, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

Ian will be responsible for the maintenance of Chiltern’s trains, rolling stock strategy, leading on safety and developing strategies to enhance the sustainability of the fleet. He joins the train operator from Northern, another Arriva trains company, where he was Head of New Trains. During his time with Northern Ian oversaw the construction and roll-out of new carriages being delivered to the Northern network as part of their new franchise commitments. 

He has a wealth of experience both within Arriva and beyond. Ian worked for Interfleet where he led on fleet refurbishment projects and saw the arrival of Javelin trains, working closely with Hitachi to bring them into service. He then went on to work for CrossCountry as Head of Fleet and Engineering where he played a key role in the bidding process for their franchise extension as well as having responsibility for the day-to-day performance of the fleet.

Commenting on the appointment Mary Hewitt, Interim Managing Director for Chiltern Railways said; “I am pleased to welcome Ian to the Chiltern executive team. It is critical that we deliver our fleet strategy in order to maintain our industry-leading levels of customer service and performance whilst sustaining our exemplary safety record. His significant experience and passion for delivering a dependable, safe service will be a huge asset to us.”

Ian said; “Joining Chiltern Railways as Engineering and Safety Director is a great opportunity to be part of a unique train company. I am passionate about delivering safe, reliable and clean services with a strong customer focus. I look forward to ensuring we set the highest standards for customer services and exceed our passengers’ expectations.”