THE NICK PIGOTT INTERVIEW

INCE the departure from the scene of GNER’s James Sherwood, Virgin’s Chris Green and EWS’s Ed Burkhardt, the modern railway industry has been rather Sbereft of colourful, charismatic leaders. Sir Richard Branson and Brian Souter remain involved, of course, but their profiles on the rail side have been somewhat lower in recent years. Step forward a tall, bearded, rather commanding figure by the name of Keith Ludeman. Ludeman is the chairman of no fewer than three train operating companies – Southern, South Eastern and Midland – and he chose the names for all three. “I love railway history”, he told me as we settled down in his office near , surrounded by art deco posters from the pre-war heyday of the Southern Railway. “Anyone with testosterone in their veins loves steam and I have happy memories of travelling behind them as a kid, so I’ve grown up with a deep respect for the past. “Our marketing people wanted to give the franchise a ghastly name such as ‘Tempo’ and it was suggested that the Integrated franchise be given a ‘texty’ title similar to ’s ‘’. Keith Ludeman: “I think names like that are rubbish. I was A passion for having none of it!” railway history Picture: Influence Keith duly chose in recognition of the old LMS and BR’s LM Region, and London & South Eastern Railway Ltd – South Eastern for short. What do Southern, He is able to wield such influence as a result of his position as chairman and chief executive of franchise-holder Govia, a joint venture partnership formed by Go-Ahead Group (of South Eastern and which he is also group chief executive) and the European transport company . Because Govia doesn’t have the high London Midland public profile of Virgin, National Express or Stagecoach, it may come as a surprise to many passengers and enthusiasts to learn that it’s have in common? Britain’s busiest rail operator, carrying 900,000 people a day and running 28.7 per cent of the country’s passenger journeys. Until 2006, it Answer 1: They all have traditional railway names. controlled the former franchise too, while Go-Ahead in its own right ran Thames Answer 2: They all have the same chairman, Keith Trains until 2004. As of this summer, Govia is also operator Ludeman (who also chose the names). of the fastest trains in Britain – South Eastern’s 140mph Class 395s – leapfrogging the The Editor went to meet him.

traditional East and West Coast inter-city routes in the process. In fact, now that these Japanese- built units are about to extend their operation to Canterbury, South Eastern can claim to be an ‘inter-city’ operator in its own right! So, who is the man who has spent the last ten years quietly steering Govia into this impressive leading position? Appropriately, he is a fan of fast cars, but it was in the bus industry that he cut his teeth as a transport strategist. Born in Waterloo, London, on January 28, 1950, Keith was brought up at West Wickham, Kent, and particularly recalls travelling behind steam as a boy during summer holidays on the Isle of Wight and in south Devon – going by train from Paddington and onto the now-closed Kingsbridge branch. After leaving school, he studied geography at Newcastle Because of the late delivery of new ‘Electrostars’ to Southern, London Midland lent its sister franchise some Class University and then transport engineering & 350 ‘Desiros’ for use on the East -Milton Keynes route. On March 16, No. 350113 calls at Kensington Olympia planning at Manchester’s Salford University (in

with a southbound service. Bill Turvill between which he sandwiched a 15-month t October 2009 • The Railway Magazine • 21 THE NICK PIGOTT INTERVIEW t stint as a Tynemouth bus conductor). He then worked in various local transport roles in Hitachi Class 395s Nos. 395003 and the North-West before moving to Hong Kong 395002 head east through Folkestone in 1982, spending three years as a senior Warren on January 29, 2009 with a transport officer there at the time the Kowloon- driver-training trip. South Eastern’s Canton railway was being extended. full high-speed domestic service After returning to Britain, he became starts in December. managing director of Burnley & Pendle buses ALAN CROTTY in 1986 and two years later, but retained his admiration for railways: “My DVD collection includes ‘The Last Days of Steam’ and the entire British Transport Films library (although my wife only allows me to watch one of those a month!),” he jokes. After gaining a far-from-henpecked reputation for toughness in his battles with the trades unions in the ’eighties and in leading a successful management buy-out, Ludeman found himself in the Go-Ahead camp with an improved bank balance when the group bought London General in 1996 – and three years later he got the chance to swap buses for trains with his appointment as managing director of both Thameslink and in April 1999. His entry into the rail industry was to prove traumatic, however, for just six months later, one of his Thames drivers took a DMU through Above: A telephoto shot a danger signal at Ladbroke Grove, colliding taken from the north end head-on with a Great Western HST and causing of platform 13 at Clapham the deaths of 31 people in one of Britain’s Junction shows Southern worst-ever train crashes. Class 455 No. 5803 on a Victoria-Sutton service Traumatic passing Class 377 No. As m.d., Keith was the man who took the 377441, in-bound to media flak. “It was a traumatic time,” he Victoria, on July 28, recalled. “For days, I had the press camped at 2005. CHRIS MILNER the bottom of my drive and I was hauled up to company was successful in retaining Southern operation and so it was a better fit for us.” Brighton. Politicians too are clambering over see John Prescott, the Deputy Prime Minister. Left: South Easterm (the new 70-month franchise starts on Keith’s passion for traditional company themselves to be associated with high-speed and “However, I was extremely fortunate in Inner-suburban unit No. September 20). This means Govia is committed names extends to liveries. In the case of South it’s wonderful for us that Transport Secretary having as general manager at the time a 376007 waits at Hayes to to paying £201m in the final year of the term, Eastern, the fleet of EMUs already ordered Lord Adonis is an enthusiast for railways.” highly-experienced railwayman in Terry Worrall form the 14.13 to Cannon but Ludeman isn’t afraid of falling into the same had been specified in ‘vanilla’ by the SRA The 395s are branded and marketed as and it was decided that he would deal with the Street on March 14, 2007. trap as GNER and NXEC on the East Coast. pending refranchising, but on Southern, he had ‘Southeastern High Speed’ and Keith says the inquiry and day-to-day aftermath of the disaster paul bickerdyke “The NX bid was made a couple of years the chance to specify the famous green of the Olympic Delivery Authority gets a little upset if while I concentrated on the company’s future, ago in the white heat of economic boom,” he past for the trains as they were being built. “I people call them ‘Javelins’ as that’s the name the as I was also bidding for the South Central the basis that trains south of the Thames should the Integrated Kent franchise, also came with said. “Our bid was based on up-to-date also seriously considered returning to maroon ODA will be using for the St Pancras-Stratford franchise at the time. To win that the following be green, to capitalise on the Southern’s aura the right to run the high-speed domestic economic forecasts and assumed a negative for London Midland, but the colour doesn’t shuttle service during the Olympics. “However,” year was very satisfying.” and try to breathe something of that into it services on the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now economy. Also, the premium is not as high as wear well,” he explains. “It flattens off after a he says, “we’re going to name the sets after In typically outspoken fashion, he is again. I wanted to eradicate the Connex image HS1) – he replaced most of the existing it appears as part of the access few months and looks tired and old-fashioned. Olympians and one will be a javelin thrower, so scathing about his predecessor at South Central and give people something to be proud of. managers and put his own people in. charges are effectively paid by DfT grant.” So we went for green, black & grey instead and I’m not sure what the public will call them!” He – the French company Connex: “My God, “I didn’t even have to run my ideas past the He was accused of being rather aggressive at The bid Ludeman did put together during passengers got to like it pretty quickly.” ruled out the possibility of South Eastern adopt- Gaullist flat hats, run-down and clapped-out Govia board members. They just said ‘Call it the time, but vindication came some time later the boom was for the West Midlands, but, he With regard to the 140mph Class 395s, ing its own catchy generic name for the class. trains and no money to invest. They had no idea what you want, Keith, as long as you win it!’ from respected ex-BR manager Gordon Pettitt. says: “I kept a sense of proportion. I took the Keith says: “I feel honoured to be in the how to treat their staff or their passengers – so I remember jumping for joy when I got the call Says Keith: “He told me SouthEast view that the other guys would knock lumps out position of being able to introduce these as they Challenge the re-franchising process with the introduction to say we’d been named preferred bidder.” had never run South Eastern as reliably as we of each other in a testosterone-fuelled battle for will be the catalyst that re-generates Kent and Keith, who is a former chairman of ATOC, of 744 new coaches and the modernisation of Connex ran both franchises with a single were doing, that we’d smartened it up and got the big franchises, so I decided to go for one of brings it ‘closer to London’. People living in the will be 60 next year but has no plans to retire five depots amounted to the biggest investment management team, but Ludeman felt that as the staff on our side. That meant a lot to me.” the smaller ones, for which there was only one Medway towns will no longer have unbelievably and is looking forward to the exciting challenge in the area’s railways since the days of the each business had a half-billion pound turnover Ludeman’s career hasn’t always been other bidder. Apart from that, Govia is tradition- slow journeys into work and day-trippers will of running a commuter franchise in and around Southern Railway in the 1930s. in its own right, dedicated teams should be go-ahead, for Govia didn’t even make the ally and primarily a commuter train and bus start going to Margate as an alternative to the ‘Javelin’ shuttles in 2012. “It was a great opportunity for a fresh start, in place. So, when in 2005/06, he was also shortlist when it came to the Thameslink “I’m not quite sure how it’ll all work yet,” so, with my love of heritage, I decided to bid on successful in winning South Eastern – which, as re-franchising in 2006. He takes the blame for Left: From June 22, he says. “I mean, we can’t just tell everyone in that – “We cocked up on the pre-qualification 2008, the Gatwick Kent not to travel into London for two weeks!” Left: Govia’s franchises process,” he says bluntly. Express franchise was No doubt the man with a bullish reputation mainly use EMUs, but It was back to winning ways in 2007 when merged with Southern for knocking heads together will help find a there are some diesel Govia was awarded the West Midlands franchise and, at the end of 2008, solution acceptable to all, but whatever is units too, with Southern (London Midland), but within a year there some services were decided, no risks will be taken where safety is having a small fleet of were signs that things might be starting to go extended to Brighton concerned. Explains Keith: “The Ladbroke Class 171s and London pear-shaped again and Keith had to take some and Eastbourne. On Grove disaster affected me very badly but we Midland using Classes tough decisions with regard to the management October 22, 2008, No. learned a lot from it and now have a deeply- 150, 153 and 170. One of team. “They started off very well but lost their 460006 heads away embedded safety culture at Govia. To this day, the latter, No. 170501, way and got into trouble over industrial relations, from Clapham Junction the first item on the agenda of every meeting I receives attention at so I had to make changes. One of the problems with the 13.00 chair concerns safety and signals passed at Tyseley on June 28, we had was in merging two businesses – Central Victoria-Gatwick danger. How well one responds to incidents is 2008. paul bickerdyke Trains and County – and the latter paul BICKERDYKE one of the marks of good leadership.” wasn’t being given the priority it deserve. But The commuters of south-east England we’re now back on track.” would appear to be in good hands. In 2008, Govia’s empire expanded when the former franchise was (The introduction of the Class 395s was covered in last

subsumed into Southern, and this year the month’s Practice & Performance article.) n 22 • The Railway Magazine • October 2009 October 2009 • The Railway Magazine • 23