Trio take strain out of the train

Teaming up on the trains...(from left) Adrian Thompson, Lee Wasnidge and Matt Beeton.

Rochdale’s trains have never been more reliable, according to figures from Network Rail out this week.

For the first time ever, more than nine out of 10 trains arrived on time over a whole year.

And sharing the celebrations are three new directors of Northern Rail.

Of the three, only area director north Matt Beeton (37) had ever really been near a train other than as a passenger.

His previous role was sales and marketing director for Derby train builders Bombardier but he had no operational experience whatsoever.

Area director west Lee Wasnidge (44) has a background in logistics, and human resources and change director Adrian Thompson (46) has more than 20 years’ experience in human resources.

But if the rookie trio, now in-post for almost six months, had any fears about taking the departure, any doubts soon disappeared.

Mr Wasnidge said: “I am used to moving things around — but a train full of people is very different to lorry full of bags of crisps.”

It was Mr Wasnidge who had to apologise to councillors from Oldham and the nine other districts of Greater Manchester for the appalling performance of local trains in December.

The new winter timetable signalled the biggest change in the North-West timetable for two decades.

Virgin introduced three trains an hour from Manchester to London. Everyone else had to fall in line.

But passengers faced hundreds of cancellations and worse overcrowding than ever. Northern was hit by a staff training crisis and had to cancel 123 trains on the first day.

As a result, the operator received almost five times as many letters of complaint.

Mr Wasnidge is quick to point out that, not only has his company recovered its poise since then, but it is now breaking all records for reliability.

He added: “I’ve met some very dedicated people — they have resilience and tenacity. The railway has a family feel to it which is difficult to find anywhere else.”

The trio, all fathers of two young children, could, in theory, be out of a job is Northern was to lose the franchise when it goes up for grabs again in 2013.

But Mr Thompson said: “I did worry slightly about the agenda — but I haven’t seen any of that at all. There is a mindset of thinking beyond 2013.”