Chris Pearce

Said the following about Devon & Cornwall Local Railway:

“The Devon & Cornwall Local Railway were formed in late Summer 2022 as a joint team between Network Rail and Great Western Railway. They have worked together as one industry team to make a difference to customers in the South-West and taxpayers by challenging how things are done and working across traditional organisational boundaries to achieve better results.

In the short time they have been together they have delivered over £2m of efficiencies through creating more efficient access for capital schemes, they have improved performance on the North Devon line by 18% by targeting high impacting speed restrictions and infrastructure vulnerabilities, and have reduced lost maintenance work by 70%.

The team has also led a number of joint initiatives to increase engagement between the two organisations. For example, local maintenance teams providing face-to-face briefs for drivers on track faults, establishing a live app for drivers to report problems, and providing regular updates on plans for track repairs and de-vegetation work - helping to build trust and forge strong relationships. They have further plans to improve reliability of station facilities at Exeter and deliver a complete overhaul of access for work to enable significant (multi-million pound efficiencies) and help to grow revenue during peak periods.

The team have been empowered to work as one-team and have shown real pride and innovation to work like it were their business. It’s been remarkable to watch them grow and challenge historical ways of working.“