More change for Network Rail

[SilentGrade]

Internal email now doing the rounds about Andrew Haines’ proposed changes to NR’s structure.

Main things to note are;

• Devolution further to 13 routes

  13 routes responsible for operations, maintenance and renewals including the day to day delivery of train performance

• 5 new NR regions to oversee the routes

  A region providing a single point of accountability for both day-to-day operations and project delivery. New regions to be Scotland, Wales & Western, London North Western, Southern and Eastern.

• Devolution of central functions such as Infrastrucure Projects, System Operator, STE and Digital Railway.

Basically a plan for more devolution of NR and it’s functions, and obviously the proposals still have to go out to consultation with Unions etc.

 

[Mag_seven]

A region providing a single point of accountability for both day-to-day operations and project delivery. New regions to be Scotland, Wales & Western, London North Western, Southern and Eastern.

Railtrack Zones anyone?

 

[4-SUB 4732]

Can’t see much wrong with it. Makes perfect sense for each ‘Region’ to have a Honcho Director with their own major projects teams to decide on route-based priorities and to then have the routes sitting inside.

 

[4-SUB 4732]

Railtrack Zones anyone?

Incredible isn’t it. Railtrack Southern Zone returns!

 

[PHILIPE]

Not waiting for the Williams Review, then ?

 

[SilentGrade]

Not waiting for the Williams Review, then ?

I had the same thoughts, although perhaps it’s an attempt to preempt its findings?

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

So the Routes won't have autonomy after all?
I don't see how the combined LNER/LNE Route proposal (by Chris Grayling) is going to work in this structure.

One thing's certain, if NR does not reorganise by itself, the government will do it for them within the year.
The question is, will it be compatible with whatever Keith Williams comes up with?

The proposed Regional map looks uncannily like the BR map of about 1963 (after the rationalisation of all the overlapping boundaries at nationalisation), except that the "LMR" has been butchered with the MML going to Eastern and North Wales to the Western.
I'll be interested in how they "devolve" Infrastructure Projects.
And then there's HS2 (currently a separate world, like HS1)...

 

[pdeaves]

• Devolution further to 13 routes
• 5 new NR regions to oversee the routes

That looks suspiciously like creating another layer of management!

 

[adamello]

Pdf download of regions here https://cdn.networkrail.co.uk/wp-co.../Network-Rail-proposed-routes-and-regions.pdf

found on this site: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/putting-passengers-first/

 

[lincolnshire]

Sounds to me a bit like another session of Empire Building, jobs for the boys.

Its no wonder that it cost a fortune to run, why not just have a plan and stick with it to the end instead of keep changing things.

 

[HH]

I remember, back in the days of RailTrack, chatting to one manager, who told me he was being restructured for the 3rd time in 4 years. Seems like NR are keeping up with the tradition.

NR is an 'Empire Building' company anyway - this won't change the culture.

 

[CaptainHaddock]

Five years of centralisation (to Milton Keynes) followed by five years of devolution back to the routes.....

 

[Mag_seven]

I remember, back in the days of RailTrack, chatting to one manager, who told me he was being restructured for the 3rd time in 4 years. Seems like NR are keeping up with the tradition.

I worked in the rail industry for 27 years (including BR, Railtrack and NR). I think on average I went through a re-org on average once every three years!

 

[ForTheLoveOf]

Seems utterly pointless bureaucratic wastefulness to me.

 

[The Planner]

Standard form for a new head honcho though? Coucher did it etc etc..

 

[Mag_seven]

Seems utterly pointless bureaucratic wastefulness to me.

Standard form for a new head honcho though? Coucher did it etc etc..

I remember at a management briefing about one of these previous re-orgs someone stood up and asked why he should believe that this "brave new world" should be any better than any previous "brave new world"!

 

[PeterC]

Five years of centralisation (to Milton Keynes) followed by five years of devolution back to the routes.....

Every company that I have worked for, in several industries, has followed the same sort of organisational cycle at varying frequencies.

One company was so keen or reorganising that they seemed to be at a Maoist state of "perpetual revolution".

 

[Tom Quinne]

I remember at a management briefing about one of these previous re-orgs someone stood up and asked why he should believe that this "brave new world" should be any better than any previous "brave new world"!

He’s now buried under the senior management teams beer garden....

 

[Tom Quinne]

What happened to BR prior to the the sell off......

 

[DarloRich]

There is some fairly poor and poorly informed speculation on this thread as to what is still a very high level plan. What a shame the experts here were not involved in any consultation.

 

[The Planner]

Lets be fair though, there hasn't been a massive influx of information for us either..

 

[Highlandspring]

I’m annoyed by the return of the word “region” to describe Scotland. Oh well.

 

[YorkshireBear]

We don't know internally (for the most part) what is going on so it is just speculation.

Amazing that this forum spends a significant period criticising Network Rail, but when they change to try and improve they are equally criticized!

 

[HH]

I know two people in NR who were due to move to new roles who have now been told that these roles no longer exist, so someone knows something.

 

[Mag_seven]

Amazing that this forum spends a significant period criticising Network Rail, but when they change to try and improve they are equally criticized!

It's easy to become cynical about these initiatives after you have to go through the umpteenth one

 

[Macwomble]

I’m annoyed by the return of the word “region” to describe Scotland. Oh well.

Agreed. Typical (unfortunately) of some of the thinking that comes from the "South East of England".....and they wonder why we Scots "take the hump" now & again

 

[Llanigraham]

Wait for the uproar because the Wales Route area impinges on england

 

[YorkshireBear]

Agreed. Typical (unfortunately) of some of the thinking that comes from the "South East of England".....and they wonder why we Scots "take the hump" now & again

But Scotland is a region of Network Rail? They are referring to it as a region of the company not the country. Just trying to understand why it is so annoying?

 

[YorkshireBear]

It's easy to become cynical about these initiatives after you have to go through the umpteenth one

Absolutely I am already cynical about it, my own bit has had two re-orgs in last 18 months. But if we are so bad (according to some) then surely they should welcome change? Or is it the people they have an issue with.

 

[Tom Quinne]

I’m annoyed by the return of the word “region” to describe Scotland. Oh well.

Think yourself lucky Scotland has even a region, us Welsh are lumped in with Western.