Marking the career of a railway great
Yesterday saw the unveiling of a statue of Adrian Shooter CBE, founder of Chiltern Railways, at Marylebone station.
Yesterday saw the unveiling of a statue of Adrian Shooter CBE, founder of Chiltern Railways, at Marylebone station. What a fantastic way to mark the career of a great railway innovator, leader and agent for change.
Adrian's career started with British Rail in 1970, and after a series of engineering appointments, he became a passionate advocate of service to the customer, on the Bedford-St Pancras line in the 1980s, and then as the first Managing Director of Chiltern following a successful management buyout at privatisation.
Chiltern was the first company to order new trains after a hiatus of 1,000+ days in the mid-1990s, and the 'Clubman' Class 168 trains ordered by Chiltern went on to be the first of a fleet of over 500 across the country for multiple operators, unlocking post-privatisation growth in capacity and services. The first of those trains, 168001, was named Adrian Shooter CBE yesterday.
I'm very proud to have played a role in helping make yesterday's events happen, and the statue produced by Luke Perry at Industrial Heritage Stronghold is uncanny!
