Merseyrail appoints managing director
Neil Grabham will leave behind his job as customer services director at East Midlands Railway to take on the top post at the Liverpool City Region rail company in mid-August.
Grabham takes on Andy Heath, who left Merseyrail earlier this summer. Jane English had been acting managing director.
In addition to East Midlands Railway, Grabham has also worked as head of customer service East for Greater Anglia. Prior to joining the world of trains, Grabham worked at Signet Jewellers and Lidl.
As managing director at Merseyrail, Graham will be leading on the company’s roll out of class 77 trains, while also delivering high-quality services for passengers.
“This is an exciting time of transformation, with new trains being introduced, and the opportunity to deliver real improvements in the journey experiences of our customers,” Grabham said.
His appointment was met with satisfaction from the leaders of Merseyrail’s two main stakeholders: Serco and Transport UK.
Transport UK chief executive Dominic Booth said: “Neil’s focus on the customer and providing the best possible operational service levels, will be a great fit for the city region.”
John Whitehurst, managing director of Serco’s transport group, echoed Booth, remarking: “[Grabham] brings with him a wealth of experience and a real focus on customer service, which is so important for Merseyrail as we continue to transform the service on the back of the new train introduction.”
Both Whitehurst and Booth thanked Grabham’s predecessors, Heath and English, for their work with the company.
Merseyrail operates 600 rail services a day in the Liverpool City Region. Approximately 90,000 people travel on its trains every weekday.
For Merseyrail customers this should mean better ticketing and touch in and out facilities. The new trains are great but shouldn’t they have ordered some 6 car units for the Southport and Ormskirk lines. Also we need more stations in highly populated areas eg between Moreton and Meols, plus the outer Loop between Halewood and Aintree which passes through Gateacre, Childwall, Broadgreen , West Derby etc and via 3 major hospitals.
By Anonymous
It’s disappointing that the new trains have generic RP announcements. Metrolink, Northern and Transpennine come across as so much friendlier with regional accents which represent their areas.
By Announcements
Dear Neil. A sincere welcome. Please sort out the direct link between ASB and crime on the network and across our local communities and ticketless travel.
Endless excuses for not installing ticket barriers. Spend a Friday evening at a local station and see it for your own eyes. Thank you.
By Local
Re train announcements, is that a wind up or should we change the announcer voice to scouse once a Northern train gets in the Merseyside area,or to a Liam Gallagher tone in GM.
Let`s keep the generic voice which is clear and friendly enough to me.
By Anonymous