Press releases

Arriva plc, one of Europe’s largest transport services organisations, today announced two senior appointments within its UK Trains division, following the company’s recent success in winning the CrossCountry franchise, which starts operations on 11 November 2007.

Bob Holland has been appointed to the role of managing director - UK Trains with immediate effect.  In his new role Bob will have overall accountability for all Arriva’s UK rail operations, with the existing Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) business and the CrossCountry franchise reporting directly to him. 

Bob has more than 30 years' experience in the bus and rail industries including six years developing Arriva's mainland European operations, overseeing the rail business in the Netherlands and setting up Arriva's rail operations in Denmark. Under his leadership ATW, which he took over as managing director in 2006, has achieved record punctuality and reliability for the franchise.

Peter Telford will take up the role of director – rail development. In this role, Peter will work with Bob in managing the mobilisation of CrossCountry, and will continue to assess strategic development opportunities including future UK rail bids. Peter led Arriva’s successful bid for the CrossCountry franchise and has extensive financial and rail management experience.

David Martin, chief executive of Arriva, said: "These appointments support the delivery of our future business strategy and our continued success as a leading pan-European passenger rail operator.

“Our UK Trains division has developed strongly this year with ATW sustaining excellent improvements in operational performance, and the forthcoming start of the CrossCountry franchise transforms the outlook for the UK Trains division as a whole.”

Notes to editors:

• Arriva Trains Wales (ATW) - ATW is a 15-year franchise which started in December 2003.  It provides inter-urban, rural and commuter passenger rail services throughout Wales and the English border counties.

ATW’s network stretches from Manchester through north and south Wales and across to Birmingham and Gloucester.  The business operates 120 trains over a 1009 mile network and manages 237 stations of which 53 are staffed. It is supported by 2,000 employees.

• CrossCountry - The CrossCountry network is the most extensive rail franchise in the UK. Stretching from Aberdeen to Penzance, and from Stansted to Cardiff, it covers around 1,500 route miles and calls at over 100 stations.

Arriva will run the franchise under a new CrossCountry brand and livery. The centre of operations will be in Birmingham, at the heart of the network and the largest city served by it.

Arriva’s successful bid for the franchise featured the following benefits for travellers:

• 35 per cent increase in seating capacity in critical evening peak on principal routes by June 2009
• at-seat catering on all routes, for all passengers, not just First Class
• radical improvements in ticketing and reservation booking, including home printing of tickets and tickets by mobile phone, with discounted tickets available much closer to the start of travel
• investment in improved rolling stock, with all other trains refurbished to the standard of the popular Voyagers
• the reintroduction of HSTs to provide 550-seat trains on busy routes
• Wi-Fi available to all Voyager and HST passengers, free in First Class.

• Arriva plc – Arriva is one of the largest private sector providers of passenger transport in mainland Europe, employing more than 34,000 people and providing more than one billion passenger journeys every year.

The group provides transport services including buses, trains, commuter coaches and water buses, and operates in nine European countries: Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK. From December 2007 we will also operate train services in north-west Poland.