Kingman named first chair of Great British Railways as Derby headquarters plan advances
Sir John Kingman starts immediately, shaping the new publicly owned railway while the Railways Bill continues through Parliament. The Government says the headquarters site at Becketwell in Derby will bring hundreds of jobs and an estimated £151 million boost to the regional economy.
The Government has appointed Sir John Kingman as the first Chair of Great British Railways, the organisation that will bring the railways back under public control, the Department for Transport confirmed on Friday 16 October.
Kingman begins his duties immediately. His role, the department says, is to shape the design of the new organisation, continue the integration of train and track operations and drive industry readiness for the transition, while the Railways Bill continues its passage through Parliament. Once Great British Railways is formally established, he will lead what the Government describes as the third biggest public sector organisation in Britain, working with the industry and devolved transport bodies.
He brings experience from both government and business. He chairs Barclays UK and is a former chair of Legal and General Group and of Tesco Personal Finance. As Second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury he played a central role in the response to the financial crisis, including the nationalisation of Northern Rock, and he later became the first Chair of UK Research and Innovation, overseeing £8 billion in annual science funding.
I want to help to build a simpler, more unified railway that puts the interests of the passengers and customers first.Sir John Kingman, Chair of Great British Railways, 16 October 2026
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said Kingman's appointment marked a defining moment in the mission to put passengers first and rebuild Britain's railways, and that his record across government and industry made him the leader needed for the transformation. Kingman said the opportunity was one he could not let pass, and that he wanted to help build a simpler, more unified railway that puts passengers and customers first, supports growth and creates opportunity across the country.
The appointment follows the reveal this week of the headquarters site at Becketwell in Derby. The Government says the site will bring hundreds of rail jobs to the city and an estimated £151 million boost to the regional economy. The Railway Industry Association welcomed the appointment, calling it a key moment in the development of Great British Railways, and said the supply sector, which it says delivers some two thirds of UK rail investment, should be recognised as the new organisation takes shape.
Ministers say passengers are already seeing the effects of operators coming into public ownership ahead of the new body: on the Government's figures, publicly owned operators perform better on average than those still in private hands, fares have been frozen this year for the first time in 30 years, and 76,000 extra seats a week have been introduced on public operator services.
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