The head of the body that represents the rail industry is to retire amid reports of disagreement over its submission to the Government’s rail review.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said chief executive Paul Plummer (pictured) ‘has confirmed his intention to retire this autumn’ but that he will stay in his role until his successor is identified.
The Telegraph reported that RDG members, who include both train operating companies and Network Rail, had disagreed with a number of the body’s key recommendations to the Williams Review, with Network Rail ‘a leading dissenter’.
A Network Rail spokesperson told Transport Network: 'Network Rail is fully engaged with the William’s review and is not relying on the RDG for its input.
'The RDG represents a broad church of views and tries to navigate a consensus amongst its members, on this, and many other issues.'
Mr Plummer said: ‘This is a pivotal year both for the rail industry and the RDG, which has a challenging and important role to play in shaping the future.
'Over the next few months, I will continue playing a role in ensuring Britain has the railway is needs for the decades ahead – a key goal for the ongoing Williams Review – and in preparing the RDG for the next stage in its evolution.
‘Nevertheless, the time is right to confirm my plans for the future so that the search for my successor can begin.’
An RDG spokesperson said: ‘In any organisation as broad as the RDG, it is inevitable that not all members will agree on the detail of all individual elements of the proposals but all members agree with the principles and that the building blocks for a generational system upgrade would lead to positive lasting change for passengers and the country.
‘Paul will continue to play a central role in shaping the railway over the coming months and it is right that he confirmed his plans for the future now so that the search for his successor can begin.’
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