Transport firm Go Ahead released a trading statement today in which they confirmed that current CEO Keith Ludeman will retire next July and be replaced by David Brown – TfL’s current Head of Surface Transport.
Go Ahead are a major player in London Transport. They will be most familiar to Londoners through their presence in the London Bus Market (where they control about one fifth of services), but they also possess significant rail interests as well. Most notably, they are the majority owner of Govia and through that firm currently control both the Southern and Southeastern franchises. They were also the holders of Thameslink before First Group took it over, and originally planned to rebid for the franchise before being blocked on marketshare grounds. Overall, upwards of 30% of all UK rail passenger travel currently takes place on a Go Ahead service of some variety.
The departure of David Brown will be a big loss to TfL. Brown is a forty-year veteran of the bus business, although he only joined TfL itself in 2006 (before that he had been running Go Ahead’s London bus companies). Interestingly (as the Financial Times points out) it also represents another “graduate” of the London Transport arena moving to the truly national stage – First Group announced that Tim O’Toole would head up the firm recently, and Dean Finch (recently of Tube Lines) is now heading up National Express. In a way, Brown’s appointment further demonstrates just how much of a key arena London is in the world of transport.
Unfortunately for TfL, David is not the only Brown who they will shortly find themselves missing. Last month Ian Brown, Head of London Rail, confirmed that he will retire early next year after 40 years in the industry.
Ian Brown’s contribution to the recent face of London Transport is difficult to overstate. It has been under his watch that the DLR has expanded, the ELL has been revamped and London Overground created.
Indeed just overseeing the step change in service that has happened with the Overground (particularly the NLL) is a remarkable achievement in itself. Although there is still plenty left to be done, it seems almost impossible to think that it was only three years ago that the Franchise was taken over from Silverlink, given how much it has changed since. Brown has also been a key figure in the evolution of the Croydon Tramlink and worked on both the business case for Crossrail and forcing Oyster PAYG through onto National Rail.
Although TfL’s post room will be breathing a sigh of relief at the anticipated decrease in letters addressed simply to “Mr Brown”, overall both Browns leave big shoes for TfL to fill.
In the case of Ian his successor has already been announced. Mike Brown – current Head of London Underground – will take on the additional Surface Transport role (keeping the Brown-to-Boss ratio at TfL suitably high). David’s role, however, will represent a key appointment that the Mayor and TfL will have to look carefully at filling. With Bus subsidy and Congestion Charge changes and the Olympics looming, the Surface Transport role has never looked more important.
Filling the position with a well-qualified replacement and a smooth transition of power will be vital.
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