KEY SOUTH WEST TRAINS STAKEHOLDERS AND SUPPLIERS LOOK BACK OVER 21 YEARS
MALCOLM BROWN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF ANGEL TRAINS
‘SWT is probably the longest running continuous franchise, with a few rebirths, and if you think back to when privatisation kicked off, nobody knew quite what was going to happen’, says Malcolm Brown, CEO of the rolling stock leasing company Angel Trains.
‘A lot of people assumed the airlines would come in, rather than bus operators, and they were absolutely in a new world. It was an exciting time, when the thinking was very much “what can we do for the passenger?” To take on a franchise of South West’s size and nature was a huge leap of courage. Since then they have done some remarkable things with the franchise; brought in the Class 444s and 450s and other ranges of trains, and it’s been a long change programme, probably more so than on other franchises.’
‘The old rolling stock had to be replaced, but it was so basic there wasn’t a lot that could go wrong with it. Arguably, they weren’t trains that were designed for passengers. What they’ve now got are several fleets of trains that really are designed for passengers and are good quality. Running such a really complex, intens…
