2023: A year in review with CEO Mark Phillips
Mark Phillips, RSSB’s CEO, takes us through some industry successes from 2023 and some opportunities for the year ahead.
Mark Phillips, CEO, RSSB
This year has been a significant one for rail. From stabilising services in the wake of the pandemic to introducing European Train Control System (ETCS) on the Moorgate line, the industry has seen several sizeable wins in 2023. But it hasn’t been without its difficulties; industrial relations have been tense, and some pay disputes are still to be settled. So, where does rail go from here?
When you think about 2023, how would you describe the landscape of the rail industry?
The industry is in a difficult place. We still haven’t truly adjusted post-pandemic. There is a lot more work to do to refine the product and the timetable to reflect the changes in people’s travel patterns, or to even start to understand what those patterns are. And for that to happen, there must be changes to the way we’re carrying out maintenance and renewal of the infrastructure, which is largely done at weekends or overnight. This can impact people’s ability to stop out late in cities or town centres and enjoy nightlife. So, decisions need to be made about how to get the right balance in terms of optimising the times at which we run trains and carry out maintenance work.
I also think we’ve got a long way to go from an industrial relations perspective. Network Rail signallers and maintenance staff settled their dispute earlier in the year, and only last week the Rail Delivery Group settled the pay dispute with the RMT. But ASLEF has not yet settled. I think there’s a lot of work to do to raise morale across the industry so that there is belief in what we’re seeking to do as an industry—which is make public transport more accessible, improve passengers’ desire to use it, and encourage businesses to transport more goods by rail.
Finally, I think we need to do more to build the case about the wider benefits that rail brings in terms of growing the economy, helping businesses grow, providing better opportunities for people—particularly in terms of job opportunities—and opening up places for people to live.
Where do you think industry has been able to make significant improvements this past year?
I think we’ve stabilised the system post-pandemic. We shouldn’t underestimate the effort and energy that was exerted during Covid to change timetables and working patterns quickly to meet the need to save cost and the need to meet changes in how we were living and working. That had a huge toll on frontline staff and management, and we owe a big debt of gratitude to those people.
What projects or initiatives from industry have you found particularly exciting?
Network Rail has done some interesting work, particularly in opening one of the early phases of ETCS on the Northern City (Moorgate) line. It’s a first step on a long journey, but we’re hopeful that, very soon, the trial stretch between Hitchin and Hatfield will be launched. Then we’ll have it operating on parts of the East Coast Main Line, and I think once we’ve got that running, that will provide a big confidence boost to drive the ETCS project forward.
Also, Network Rail and Balfour Beatty were able to rebuild the Nuneham Viaduct on the Didcot–Oxford line extremely quickly. To rebuild such a major structure and reopen the line so quickly demonstrated real ingenuity in very difficult circumstances.
When you have problems like this, and issues to solve, people do respond and really rise to the challenge very effectively. It shows the abilities we have in the industry and what can be done, which is a mark of the amount of energy and enthusiasm that people have for the sector. Despite some of our current challenges, there is a lot of deep love held for the industry.
And what RSSB projects or initiatives have you found particularly promising?
At RSSB, we have produced several new tools that have the potential to transform how we address some of the industry’s top safety risks. For example, working with the Network Rail London North Western route, we are trialling a tool to propose temporary speed restrictions in periods of forecast heavy rain considering the condition of infrastructure assets.
We are also developing a tool to identify damaged wheel profiles on freight wagons, an air quality dashboard that collates data from around 100 stations across the network, and a health dashboard to help us identify the biggest issues impacting rail colleagues.
Looking ahead to 2024, what would you like to see more of?
I would like to see more cooperation and collaboration, both between government and industry and between trade unions and management. I think the industry needs to be empowered to address more challenges on its own and, specifically, to resolve industrial relations issues at the local level, which will be the case with the RMT and train operators in the New Year.
We also must recognise that the cost base at the industry has got to be reduced, and that does mean smarter working. Some working practices will have to be updated to reflect modern ways of working. I don’t think that should mean job losses, as there is a huge opportunity for the industry to grow if it’s positioned appropriately. It’s just that we all need to consider how to continue to improve our skills and capabilities as our operations change over time.
For example, everybody needs to be equipped for the development of new technologies, like artificial intelligence, and we can’t ignore these things. If anything, they have the potential to make the industry more productive. Ably supported by our Chief Information Officer, I’m leading the digital transformation at RSSB. It’s absolutely the way to take further the products we produce for industry and embed them into our members’ businesses.
Also, we should adopt more standard approaches to doing things across the network by using Rail Industry Standards. This can lower cost and get a more consistent product. Pinch with pride!
What advice do you have for rail executives as we come to the end of 2023 and ready ourselves for the start of the next five-year funding period?
We’ve got to keep our main objectives front of mind and not get too distracted by the day-to-day matters. Obviously, those need to be managed effectively, but we’ve got to keep our minds on the longer-term goal—where do we want the industry to be in 5, 10 years?
For example, there are proportionately fewer young people learning to drive cars, so this presents an opportunity for rail―particularly, better integration with other public transport modes.
Thank you. Lastly, what’s a lesson you’ve learned that you’d like to share?
My role is to recruit great people and provide the conditions for them to excel at their work. And over the time of my industry career, I’ve realised that the more room you give your teams and colleagues to do their work and to grow—and the less you get involved in the small details of the work—the better the result you’re going to get. And those people will be happier and, importantly, more engaged.
