Phil Verster resigns from ScotRail replaced by Alex Hynes from Northern

[matchmaker]

Phil Verster has quit.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-38687889

The managing director of Abellio ScotRail has stepped down, the BBC understands.

The company is expected to release a statement later confirming Phil Vester's departure.

 

[PaxVobiscum]

I'd rather have seen the Transport Minister resign.

 

[68000]

A media / political witch hunt. The media / politicians are still insisting that he is an Abellieo Director. Probably decided he can get the same money without the petty nonsense he was exposed to in Scotland

 

[MadCommuter]

And I doubt it will be any different under his replacement.

 

[amcluesent]

Expect to see an SNP crony parachuted in, as has been done for every other organisation in Scotland.

In fact, why not the Fat Controller himself?

 

[68000]

Expect to see an SNP crony parachuted in, as has been done for every other organisation in Scotland

Really? Verster was a Network Rail employee and the SNP have zero influence over that. Abellieo is a private company and I doubt the SNP could parachute one of their cronies in to them

This is the kind of nonsense which has directly led to this resignation

 

[Marklund]

Going to East West rail, according to reports.

 

[68000]

'I wanted to write to tell you that I have today accepted an offer to become the Managing Director of the East West Rail project and, subsequently, will be leaving the ScotRail Alliance.'

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

NR announcement: https://www.networkrail.co.uk/feeds/senior-management-changes/

“Phil has done a great job setting up the ScotRail Alliance and overseeing the delivery of one of the largest programmes of rail modernisation in Scotland since Victorian times. I am delighted that a leader of Phil’s calibre will be heading up the new East West rail project, recently announced by the Secretary of State. We have agreed a replacement to succeed Phil and will be making an announcement shortly.”

It doesn't say so, but I thought the East West Rail job was with the DfT, not Network Rail.
It could of course be a secondment from NR.

 

[KTHV]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...resigns-after-pressure-over-firms-performance

Phil Verster, the beleaguered boss of the ScotRail franchise, has resigned after weeks of pressure over the company’s poor performance.

His decision to quit to take up another rail industry job has plunged the Scottish government into an unexpected crisis, raising further questions about the future of the transport minister, Humza Yousaf.

The announcement came after serious doubts emerged about a headline-grabbing plan Yousaf devised to compensate regular commuters with a £3m rebate on their season tickets as an apology for months of cancellations, delays and service cuts.

As managing director of the ScotRail Alliance, Verster told MSPs this week that the Scottish government had asked him to fund part of the compensation package from a special rail improvement fund that ScotRail controls.

The fund, known as Squire, is built up from fines ScotRail has paid for its poor performance, and the £1.8m identified from it for the rebate was already earmarked for other projects. The cost of the season ticket rebate could only be met, he said, if ScotRail was fined further for more delays.

He told Holyrood’s rural affairs and connectivity committee: “I can’t vouch for whether the scheme goes ahead or not. I can just comment on whether we will make that decision, and when we’ll make the decision in the next couple of weeks in terms of how we will deploy the Squire fund.”

A respected figure within the industry, Verster is now expected to take a job renewing the rail link between Oxford and Cambridge, a far smaller task than overhauling the Scottish rail network.

He had previously been in charge of Network Rail’s London north-east area, which includes the north-east mainline.

A joint venture between the Dutch state-owned rail operator Abellio and Network Rail, ScotRail faced demands last winter that it be stripped of its franchise, which costs it £7bn over 10 years.

Scottish Labour has pressed Yousaf to justify the company’s slump in performance;, His response was to question the future of ScotRail’s franchise and said the SNP government could force it to relinquish the contract early and replace it with a publicly owned company.

Kezia Dugdale, the Scottish Labour leader, implied that Yousaf’s future was now in doubt. “It’s clear the relationship between the SNP and ScotRail has broken down,” she said. “One man has walked, and the only man left standing is Humza Yousaf. He must address this ScotRail crisis and explain to passengers when they will see improvements. The clock is ticking.”

Yousaf did not comment directly on Verster’s resignation, but a Scottish government spokesman thanked Verster “for his hard work during a transitional time in charge of Abellio ScotRail and the ScotRail Alliance” and wished him well in his next venture.

“He has overseen many improvements and considerable investment which will ultimately lead to major benefits for passengers,” the spokesman said. “As ever our focus is not on individuals, but helping the industry to deliver the best possible service for Scotland. There will be no let up as we strive to help ScotRail and others improve the passenger experience over the coming weeks and months.”

During some recent four-week periods, only four out of five ScotRail services have arrived on time. Last week the latest performance data put its average annual punctuality rating at 90% , breaching its contractual target of 91.3%.

ScotRail said the those overall performance figures showed it was the UK’s second best performing franchise, proving that its service improvement strategy was starting to work.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats said Yousaf should make an urgent statement to parliament on Verster’s departure. “It is obvious to me that Mr Verster was under incredible pressure when he couldn’t answer in detail questions the committee was asking him,” said Mike Rumbles, the Lib Dem transport spokesman.

Alison Johnstone, the Scottish Green party’s transport spokeswoman, said ScotRail had to take urgent action to address the “dismal” situation for rail users.

“There’s no question that ScotRail’s performance as of late has not been good enough and the punctuality of services have been below the standard expected by commuters,” she said. “Abellio need to understand that poor service is unacceptable and that offers of compensation should be automatic and easy to complete.”

Any ideas who will take over and if Yousaf is secure in his job?

 

[3141]

Any ideas who will take over and if Yousaf is secure in his job?

No, but the report illustrates an increasing tendency for resignations to be expected when something goes wrong. The story moves from the problems and how they might be resolved to who is going to get the boot, and how many of them.

From what I've read, Phil Verster is an effective leader with a good grasp of issues and how to manage them. Will the departure of the man at the top solve the problems? It might do, but not necessarily, if the fundamental difficulty was a matter of personal relationships. If there are other causes, getting rid of the boss may just leave no-one effective in charge, which is unlikely to improve the situation. Getting a good top person to replace him is likely to take some time.

 

[GusB]

The Scotsman reckons Alex Hynes, while the Herald seems to think it'll be Steve Montgomery. I'm not sure how long Yousaf will last, though. Even if Scotrail's performance has improved, I don't think the opposition parties are going to let this go.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/scotrail-chief-phil-verster-set-to-quit-1-4344280

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15037352.Under_fire_head_of_ScotRail_in_shock_quit_move/

 

[QueensCurve]

Any ideas who will take over and if Yousaf is secure in his job?

Verster's departure can be seen in the context of the late changes to electrification clearances.

Verster was, as I understand it, backed into a corner over electrification clearances. If, as quoted above, he is under "pressure over the company’s poor performance", his position would seem to have become intolerable.

Might this amount to constructive dismissal?

 

[380101]

The Scotsman reckons Alex Hynes, while the Herald seems to think it'll be Steve Montgomery. I'm not sure how long Yousaf will last, though. Even if Scotrail's performance has improved, I don't think the opposition parties are going to let this go.

http://www.scotsman.com/news/transport/scotrail-chief-phil-verster-set-to-quit-1-4344280

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15037352.Under_fire_head_of_ScotRail_in_shock_quit_move/

doubt Monty will be back. He has a good job as head of First group rail division. Most staff wouldn't want him back either. It'll be a Network Rail person that gets it.

 

[47271]

You can hardly blame him for wanting to leave considering the ill informed sniping Scotrail had been subjected to over the past few months.

Have we heard anything at all from hapless Humza since Wednesday's bombshell on the compensation scheme?

 

[snowball]

Might this amount to constructive dismissal?

I don't remember any case where anyone in such a senior position claimed constructive dismissal.

In any case weren't Carney and Hendy his nominal bosses?

 

[68000]

Verster reported to Carne

 

[davetheguard]

'I wanted to write to tell you that I have today accepted an offer to become the Managing Director of the East West Rail project and, subsequently, will be leaving the ScotRail Alliance.'

Scotland's loss is East West Rail's gain in my opinion. His war on lineside vegetation was an extra feather in his cap. Scotland's verdant lineside trees can now no doubt relax: they can carry on blocking out the scenery on the southern end of the West Highland, and Loch Long, Loch Lomond et al can remain frustratingly invisible.

Unfortunately, the Buckinghamshire countryside around Claydon LNE Junction is not quite in the same league.....

 

[snowball]

Oops, I made the Mark Carne/Mark Carney mistake.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Carney

 

[47271]

Not a bad analysis here from The Herald, it's just a shame that they bought into the negativity right through the autumn.

Interesting that there's a recognition that Scotrail's media management has been poor, and that the origins of this weakness can be traced back to Verster. It does make sense.

The wrong skillset in an overheated political climate: Phil Verster's time as a ScotRail chief

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...ate__Phil_Verster_s_time_as_a_ScotRail_chief/

IT was perhaps the wrong skillset, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

There is no denying the calibre of outgoing ScotRail chief Phil Verster's CV prior to his short tenure north of the border: managing director of Network Rail's second largest route and chief executive of the operator of the national railway network in Ireland.

With the biggest modernisation of Scotland's rail network since Victorian times underway, it seemed an inspired appointment.

For many in the industry though Mr Verster is an engineer, perhaps one of the best in the UK, and one with a track record for driving down costs and improving safety, but someone whose strength lie literally in the nuts and bolts.

And in the face of criticism around delays, overcrowding and overall passenger dissatisfaction, what Scotland's rail operators need now is someone with a nous for public relations.

Mr Verster's mantra is that a better travelling experience is coming down the line. Game-changing improvements are building up a head of steam.

But as recently as this week his claims that the electrification of the network was ahead of schedule and that new trains would be operational from September were met with a dose of realism from a former Scottish transport minister.

People would forget these things in a day, warned Stewart Stevenson in Parliament. But they will remember on Thursday that the delayed train had them late for work on Monday.

Mr Verster took the role less than a year after Scotland's independence referendum. Like much else in the country the railways became overly politicised.

Regular figures showing ScotRail to be one of the best performing operators in Britain matter little when there was political capital to be had. Scotland's opposition parties have had a field day with the successful airing of grievances over delays, one particular recent breakdown of a train in Edinburgh crippling practically the whole national network.

Add to the mix the fact the ScotRail operator, Dutch transport giant Abellio, were falling short on their franchise targets and Labour had an ideal platform to attack the firm, the SNP Government and the transport minister Humza Yousaf.

Already a political football, what galled many within the train operator was the response of Mr Yousaf, that consideration would be given to a public bid for the railways if ScotRail did not up its game.

In the midst of this Mr Verster himself has become a significant part of the narrative. Earlier this month details of his relocation package were published in the media, showing a contribution of arouind £20,000 from the pax payer towards his living expenses.

Salary details also appeared in the media, along with recent claims from a whistleblower that he had breached strict rules over accepting gifts and hospitality.

Just last week he told The Herald that attacks on ScotRail had taken on a personal hue.

Mr Verster takes up his new role overseeing the construction of a new line between Oxford and Cambridge. Jeremy Corbyn may have similarly politicised the railways south of the border but Mr Verster can be assured of one thing, a quieter life under less of a spotlight.

As for his successor, what is needed now is someone with a similarly thick skin but a softer touch.

 

[D1009]

Oops, I made the Mark Carne/Mark Carney mistake.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Carney

I thought you were trying to sound familiar with him

 

[68000]

Not a bad analysis here from The Herald, it's just a shame that they bought into the negativity right through the autumn.

Interesting that there's a recognition that Scotrail's media management has been poor, and that the origins of this weakness can be traced back to Verster. It does make sense.



http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/...ate__Phil_Verster_s_time_as_a_ScotRail_chief/

I feel Network Rail have been hiding about amongst all the nonsense over the last while. It is particularly galling when you have media articles and politicians with so ignorant reports / views that any 12 year old with railway knowledge would be able to put them right

This is not the fault of Phil Verster but the fault of the media in executing their basic function and the Labour/Tory/Lib Dem politicians who wanted a scalp irresspective of demonstrating their ignorance of the railway and it's legislative framework

 

[Southsider]

Hasn't the guy just moved on to a better job?

 

[MadCommuter]

Hasn't the guy just moved on to a better job?

It would seem that way. Unfortunately, the headline "ScotRail boss lands better job in Englandshire" isn't a newspaper seller.

 

[HH]

Hasn't the guy just moved on to a better job?

It's a smaller job, but it will be a lot more pleasant I should think.

I think that the Herald is spot on. I certainly doubt whether any replacement will do a better job on the nuts and bolts side, but maybe they can handle the political side better. For that reason I highly doubt that it will be an NR person as very few of them get media experience. Hynes would seem a good call to me.

 

[dk1]

Hasn't the guy just moved on to a better job?

My thoughts exactly. What a load of waffle over nothing.

 

[47271]

What a load of waffle over nothing.

You precisely describe a large proportion of what's discussed in Scottish politics and in its media, and particularly in relation to Scotrail's performance.

 

[Southsider]

It would seem that way. Unfortunately, the headline "ScotRail boss lands better job in Englandshire" isn't a newspaper seller.

But it could have the subtext "Westminster Parliament to blame"

 

[route:oxford]

Hasn't the guy just moved on to a better job?

And to cut his income tax bill?

 

[Class 170101]

And the comment about the taxpayer contributing £20,000 to his living expenses is this not a legal requirement if NR move a job from one place to another beyond a certain distance?