Brown departs Transport for the North
Transport for the North has announced that chief executive David Brown is to leave the organisation in September. Brown will take up the post of managing director of Arriva Rail North, operator of the Northern rail franchise.
TfN is the body tasked with driving economic growth in the north through transport development programmes. The national partners in TfN are Highways England, Network Rail, HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport, who work with the north’s Local Enterprise Partnerships to prioritise and promote projects.
John Cridland, chairman of TfN, said: “David leaves Transport for the North with our thanks and best wishes for the future. He has been instrumental in developing TfN’s vision of a thriving North of England where modern transport connections drive economic growth and support an excellent quality of life. He leaves a strong organisation ready to become the UK’s first statutory body with a clear direction to drive economic growth in the North.”
TfN, which will start its search for a new chief executive shortly, said that Brown has “been at the forefront of shaping the future of transport in the North of England, making a difference to both private and public sector over the last two years”.
The body added: “Under his leadership TfN’s multi-modal Integrated and Smart Travel programme has rapidly developed into a tangible entity and is on track to deliver substantial benefits to customers, modernising the way people plan and pay for travel across the North. He has also been instrumental in the development of the statutory transport plan designed to drive transformational economic growth in the North of England by intelligently developing our transport infrastructure.”
The news follows a change in the minister responsible for the Northern Powerhouse, with Jake Berry taking over from Andrew Percy, who declined the opportunity to continue in the role.
