01 October 2007
It was announced today that Steve Banaghan will be Managing Director of London Midland, the company that takes over the new West Midlands rail franchise from November 11.
Steve has been Managing Director of Central Trains since February 2005, leading the company through an impressive period of growth and improvement. He brings a wealth of experience to his new role, gained after 29 years in the rail industry.
Keith Ludeman, Go-Ahead Group Chief Executive and Chairman of Govia said: "We are delighted that Steve will lead the creation of the new London Midland business for us. We are very impressed by his achievements at Central Trains and confident that he has the right combination of experience, drive and professional expertise needed to deliver our ambitious plans for the West Midlands franchise."
Notes to editors:
- The process of selecting a top management team to work alongside Steve Banaghan in London Midland is well-advanced. Further appointments will be announced shortly.
- Go-Ahead is one of the UK's leading providers of passenger transport management services operating in the bus, rail and aviation sectors. Employing over 24,000 staff across the county, over 800 million passenger journeys are undertaken on its services each year. In addition to the travelling public, customers include Transport for London, BAA, major airlines, local authorities and the Department for Transport.
- Govia is the Group's rail division, a joint venture between Go-Ahead (65%) and Keolis SA (35%) which is a French-based operator of passenger transport services in seven European countries and in Canada.
- The new West Midlands rail franchise was awarded to Govia by the Department for Transport on June 21. The franchise covers the West Midlands section of the Central Trains franchise and Silverlink County.
- Govia will operate the franchise as London Midland. Further information is available at www.londonmidland.com