Claire Mann, Managing Director, South Western Railway

It is winter, and the Gilbert and Sullivan season.  In ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ (a well-known Gilbert & Sullivan comic opera) a constable bewails the challenges of his professional life - “A policeman’s lot is not a happy one!”  But what of the “lot” of the modern professional railway manager, dealing with the difficulties of running a Train Operating Company (TOC) in the present political and economic climate?

If anyone is capable of rising to the challenge, then Claire Mann should be.  She explained that she has been with South Western Railway (SWR) for the past 18 months, her railway career starting as far back as 1997 when she joined Heathrow Express, passing out as a train driver.  Then she went to Silverlink Metro (later London Overground), before transferring to a management post with GWR.  There followed a spell with Arriva Trains Wales before a return to London and to TfL, briefly changing to manage busses.  After such a variety of experience she is now back with trains and at the head of our substantial local commuter passenger orientated TOC.  Apart from her extensive experience, in her bracing talk Claire gave the impression that she was suffused with enthusiasm for her job and has the intellectual capability and lateral thought to make the decisions to resolve such challenges.

A challenging year!  Just over a year ago Claire was off duty, relaxing with her family at home.  It was Halloween evening, but instead of a knock on her front door from trick or treat callers, the telephone rang.  “We’ve run into the back of a GWR train!” came the message.  Incredulous at this news, she immediately drove to Salisbury to be confronted by a heap of tangled telescoped coaches, piled up at Salisbury Tunnel Junction, and a driver shaking uncontrollably.  Trees had been blown down, there were reports of the train having gone too fast and skidding and the news media required an immediate explanation of the cause.  The incident still remains under RAIB investigation.

Would things get better?  No.  Even though the Coronavirus pandemic was over, the economic damage caused by loss of traffic during the lockdowns only became clear in subsequent months.  Many have heard of “TWT” passengers, the peak time rail  commuters who travel en-masse on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays (TWT) but who stay at home on Monday and Friday each week.  It is estimated that only about 50% of the regular pre-COVID commuter traffic has returned as many continue to work from home at least part of the time.  Leisure passenger traffic off-peak, on the other hand, has recovered to the extent of being more than 100% of its former pre-COVID volume.  In summary, it is reckoned that the volume of rail passenger traffic is back to about 70% of the pre-COVID volume.  How are the railways to adjust to this change?

That is not to mention the effects of the weather over the past year such as persistent flooding bringing trees and embankments down onto the tracks, and extreme heat sometimes so severe that it causes track to buckle, especially problematic on the single line sections between Salisbury and Exeter, with the resulting damage and necessary remedial works requiring timetable changes and some train cancellations.

SWR has tried to counter the difficulties; new track has been laid, stations repainted and refurbished, much modernisation work carried out to the Portsmouth line; and works to modernise Isle of Wight services continue.  But track possessions for repair and replacement mean service cancellations and it has been increasingly difficult arranging bus substitution services - finding reliable bus and coach companies to provide guaranteed replacement journeys.  Hit by the downturn in passengers, not all services can be continued as they were pre-pandemic including on board catering.  It has become economically impractical to provide trolley services so alternatives have had to be considered for refreshments including promoting local providers to passengers in some areas.

A big disappointment has been the delay to the introduction of the long awaited Arterio Class 701 units - “They are coming and are super” enthuses Claire “but we need to know that they are reliable before accepting them into service”.  But a hold up in delivery has been caused by software problems currently being remedied.  (These units were comprehensively described in a previous lecture by a South Western Engineering Manager in January 2022).  But the broader question remains as to how to replace other now aging rolling stock, especially the diesel Class 158 units.

But that is for the future.  At the moment the prospects are rather grim with the depressed financial picture.  SWR are dependent on a fixed annual fee under the latest arrangements and any additional expenditure has to be strictly justifiable to the Department for Transport.  To make the picture even more uncertain, there is the question of the whole future of the railways following the recent halting of the proposed Great British Railways venture and, of course, the adverse effects of the rail strikes on train services and revenue, planned to continue through December and with no end in sight as yet.

Claire stated that she has a great team at SWR, and one was left reassured with the impression from her enthusiastic and up-beat talk, that if anyone can lead a railway revival of fortunes at SWR after such a tsunami of setbacks, she can!