Network Rail CEO John Armitt (pictured) is to retire from his position in July of next year after five years in the role. His replacement will be current deputy chief executive Iain Coucher.
Commenting on his decision John Armitt said: ”Following five challenging, enjoyable and successful years, the time is now right to move on. Our team has achieved a great deal and I am proud to have led them. The company is now a stable and confident organisation ready to meet the challenges which lie ahead. I thank all of the employees for their support and efforts during my time with Network Rail.
”The rail industry is expecting demand growth of a least 30% over the next ten years. The next challenge is to meet this demand and I believe that 2007 will be the right year to leave the next phase to my successor. I know the railway will continue to go from strength to strength under Iain Coucher”s leadership.”
Iain Coucher gave his thoughts on the challenges he will face in his new role: ”The challenge ahead, and my personal priority, is to grow the capacity of the railway to meet the ever-growing needs of passengers and freight users whilst maintaining high levels of punctuality, safety and continuing to drive down costs. In recent years, Network Rail has delivered a substantially better railway to Britain ” I am committed to making these improvements continue.”