Transport Secretary appoints Neil Sachdev as Chair of the East West Railway Company, overseeing delivery of a new direct rail link between Oxford and Cambridge
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has appointed Nilesh (Neil) Sachdev as Chair of the East West Railway Company (EWR Co).
Neil has been appointed for a term of 3 years and will oversee the delivery of the East West Rail project, which will deliver a new direct rail link between Oxford and Cambridge, serving towns and cities along the Oxford-Cambridge arc.
He replaces Rob Brighouse, who has served as the founding chairman of EWR Co since 2017.
Neil brings a wealth of leadership experience at board level and strong commercial and business acumen. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of Network Rail Property Limited and Chair of the Defence Infrastructure Organisation Board for the Ministry of Defence. He has previously held a variety of senior leadership positions in the energy, property and retail sectors.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:
Neil Sachdev said:
Rob Brighouse said:
EWR Co was set up as an operational arms-length body in 2018 to explore new and better ways of delivering infrastructure by accelerating the pace at which projects are built, while driving down costs to secure a better deal for customers and taxpayers.
Neil’s appointment comes as the project enters a new phase of delivery, following the confirmation in January of £760 million in government funding for works between Bicester and Bletchley.
These works are expected to create 1,500 jobs and will include the construction of a new station at Winslow, as well as enhancements to existing stations along the route, including Bletchley.