Steve Montgomery New Head of First Rail

[F Great Eastern]

http://www.firstgroupplc.com/news-and-media/latest-news/2015/22-09-15.aspx

FirstGroup has announced that Steve Montgomery has been appointed as the new Managing Director of its Rail division.

Steve recently served as Managing Director of the highly successful First ScotRail franchise. Under his leadership, ScotRail achieved the highest ever levels of customer satisfaction and punctuality in the franchise's history and won countless awards including Rail Operator of the Year in 2014 and Scottish Public Transport Operator of the Year in both 2012 and 2013.

Steve's career in the railway industry spans almost 30 years, during which time he has gained significant experience in all aspects of rail management.

He started his working life with British Rail; he held various senior posts before becoming Operations and Safety Director when FirstGroup took over ScotRail in 2004. He was appointed Managing Director of the franchise in 2009. Steve begins his new role on 28 September.....

He wasn't away from the Group for very long at all. Now it becomes clear why he first of all was appointed as MD of Abellio Scotrail after they won the franchise from First, only to leave only a few weeks later.

Interesting that Dave Gausby was the MD after Vernon Barker retired on an interim basis, now that was a name from the past and First Great Eastern!

 

[Mag_seven]

Its a bit like football team managers - there is a bit of a musical chairs/merrygoround for TOC directors as well!

 

[HH]

http://www.firstgroupplc.com/news-and-media/latest-news/2015/22-09-15.aspx

He wasn't away from the Group for very long at all. Now it becomes clear why he first of all was appointed as MD of Abellio Scotrail after they won the franchise from First, only to leave only a few weeks later.

Interesting that Dave Gausby was the MD after Vernon Barker retired on an interim basis, now that was a name from the past and First Great Eastern!

Dave probably never wanted to be MD permanently.

Steve was maybe hoping to get a pay-off, but when Abellio didn't bite...

 

[FordFocus]

What ever happened to Vernon Barker?

 

[F Great Eastern]

He left earlier in 2015.

No idea why.

 

[HH]

He's probably on gardening leave.

 

[Carlisle]

He's probably on gardening leave.

Good news as there's plenty of stations that could do with a bit of weeding grass cutting and tending of their flowerbeds and boxes

 

[3141]

He's probably on gardening leave.

That, or something similar, was my conclusion when I could find nothing on the First Group website about his departure, suggesting that the circumstances weren't 100% harmonious. A pity, because he's contributed a lot to the company, particularly through FTPE.

 

[HH]

That, or something similar, was my conclusion when I could find nothing on the First Group website about his departure, suggesting that the circumstances weren't 100% harmonious. A pity, because he's contributed a lot to the company, particularly through FTPE.

Well if Vernon resigned then they would still send him on gardening leave. They did that to Mary Grant (and others). I find it most likely that he resigned, because otherwise they would already have had a replacement ready.

 

[brizzlechris]

Vernon Barker Consultancy Limited was incorporated today at Companies House.

https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/09805914

 

[F Great Eastern]

What normally seems to happen with First is they appoint one of their TOC's MD's to that group rail MD job, they stay a few years then they leave without any word. Happened several times before.

I know there will be one blogger happy about it, can't remember his name, but he was fied by TPE and had some beef with Barker.

 

[HH]

Yes, I've seen that blog too. Vernon is a pretty devout Christian and does a lot of charity work, but he tends to see things as fairly black and white.

From what I can see TPE still behaves like it did under him; corporate cultures tend to stick around once they're established.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I know there will be one blogger happy about it, can't remember his name, but he was fied by TPE

I learn something new every day on this wonderful website, even at the age of 70. I never knew that Dave Gausby became a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering Designers during his time at First TPE....

 

[gimmea50anyday]

I know there will be one blogger happy about it, can't remember his name, but he was fied by TPE and had some beef with Barker.

Oh, that will be PW, He is stilll at it, his campaign seems to have quietened down but not totally given up. He believes a group of 9 managers have conspired against him to dismiss him from his job.

http://tpeconspiracy.weebly.com

 

[Bletchleyite]

Oh, that will be PW, He is stilll at it, his campaign seems to have quietened down but not totally given up. He believes a group of 9 managers have conspired against him to dismiss him from his job.

http://tpeconspiracy.weebly.com

From a brief read, it would certainly seem unacceptable to me that trains are not withdrawn immediately from service (and indeed from any movement whatsoever, as soon as a suitable location can be found to remove from the line) if neither tone of the horn is working correctly, so on face value it seems he has a point in that regard at least. But I personally have no confidence whatsoever (as a passenger) in any aspect of TPE's management either, so I am probably biased

Edit: Indeed, from further reading, it seems 20mph to the first safe location to take out of service is indeed the procedure.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

To be fair to both sides there are several aspects of behaviour where he hasnt followed correct proceedures. Perhaps a little less militancy on his part could have made a difference to his individual case, but at the same time i pity him and the position he is in, but i dont believe the company management have deliberately conspired to out him from his position either. They have merely followed their proceedures. Wether those proceedures are correct or not is not for me so comment on. In this particular case i cannot side with either him or the company.

 

[XC90]

Lied about having a near miss. Got sacked. End of story.

 

[185]

Oh, that will be PW, He is stilll at it, his campaign seems to have quietened down but not totally given up. He believes a group of 9 managers have conspired against him to dismiss him from his job.

http://tpeconspiracy.weebly.com

PWs biggest crime was, like many H&S reps, he was a pain in the neck operationally, however I must say, knowing him, he did usually have a fair point. His reports stopped the job regularly, but he was usually right.

I nearly lost it with him whilst I was a manager when I was told he was refusing to drive a train because of the 'small insect village' living on the windscreen he was trying to drive... Yep. I ended up hanging off the front with a bucket and bog roll at Leeds.

I've seen one of the managers he was up against first hand, FTPE's Safety Systems Manager. That manager made three false statements in court, under warning of truth / oath - then proceed to withdraw those statements after CCTV or company documents were introduced contradicting everything he said... blatantly lying, with no punishment.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I nearly lost it with him whilst I was a manager when I was told he was refusing to drive a train because of the 'small insect village' living on the windscreen he was trying to drive... Yep. I ended up hanging off the front with a bucket and bog roll at Leeds.

Whilst I both note and admire your resolution of that particular event, I am interested in exactly what species of insects were involved in that situation and if this was not just a solitary instance of such an infestation of the type of unit involved.