About Us | East West Railway Company

Company Overview

In 2018, the Department for Transport created the East West Railway Company - our Company - to look at plans being developed for a new railway between Oxford and Cambridge.

The original plans were developed by the Department for Transport, Network Rail and the East West Rail Alliance.

Our job is to consider and challenge these plans with fresh thinking. To do that, we are now responsible for planning the section of East West Rail between Bletchley and Cambridge, while overseeing delivery of the section between Bicester and Bletchley – which is being delivered by the East West Rail Alliance.

What sets us apart

Creating new connections

Not just laying down steel and concrete, we're focused on designing a railway that is most likely to create connections between local communities

Rooted in community

The views of the community the railway serves are central to our decision-making process

Environment at the forefront

We are exploring options for advancing low carbon design and green energy to power our trains

A unified goal - from planning through to operations

Every decision we make is informed by a single, unified goal to deliver the best service for our passengers and our communities.

Our team

We were founded on a range of values which we work to breathe into our project and our company culture - being open, bold, trusted, focusing on our customers and having fun - we’re incredibly proud of the people who make our company what it is.

With decades of valuable and varied industry experience, we know how to spot the best talent and are a group of around 100 skilled and motivated experts who are dedicated to delivering East West Rail.

Meet our Senior Leadership Team below.

Simon joined us as our first CEO in December 2018. His experience ranges from the early stage development of Crossrail to the innovative delivery of Heathrow Express and most recently as Programme Director for the £5bn Thameslink project.

Before joining East West Railway Company, Will was the Operations Director for the National Citizen Service Trust, the fastest growing youth programme in the UK. Will has spent a significant amount of time in senior leadership positions both within the public and the private sectors.

James's served as Finance Director Network Operations and Deputy CFO for Network Rail. He has a wide range of experience including Finance Director roles for an AIM listed support services organisation.

Ian is a chartered civil engineer with over 30 years’ experience in the infrastructure sector. Before joining East West Rail Company, Ian was MD of Costain’s transportation division and previously, for Highways England, led the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon scheme through its development phase.

Simon joined EWR Co as Engineering Director in Jun 2020 ; he previously developed future transport systems at Virgin Hyperloop One and the Digital Railway Programme at Network Rail; recently he led the development of privately financed transport systems for KBR.

Margarita Ziborova - East West Rail Company

Margarita is a people & culture professional with decades of global experience leading high performing HR teams. Before joining East West Railway Company, Margarita led HR teams at BCM Construction and Pepsico.

Roland joined us as General Counsel and Company Secretary in 2020 after undertaking similar roles within the water industry. He has legal experience across a range of diverse areas, including construction, new energy and corporate finance

Ian is a senior manager and chartered safety practitioner with 31 years’ international experience across rail, marine, energy, industrial services and global consultancy sectors. He has held a diverse range of challenging roles, encompassing all aspects of safety management and the project management lifecycle, including design & construction, engineering, manufacturing and operations and maintenance.

Rachel joined EWR Co as the Customer Service Director in June 2021. She has a deep knowledge of Customer Experience and has a long track record of delivering transformation change. Previously, Rachel has held number of senior positions, over many years at Virgin Atlantic Airways.

The East West Railway Company Board

The East West Railway Company (EWR Co) Board is responsible for establishing appropriate corporate policies and scrutinising major decisions, whilst holding EWR Co Management and EWR Co’s CEO to account. The membership of the Board is:

Chair:

Neil Sachdev

Non-Executive Director Members:

Simon Murray
Dyan Crowther
Anne Baldock
Lynette Ryals
Joanna Whittington

Executive Member:

Simon Blanchflower CBE

Department for Transport Observer:

Cavendish Elithorn

The EWR Co team at a briefing event

Some of our External Affairs and Business Case team

Maria - our interim Head of Operations

Key Corporate Documents

Document
2018-19 Annual Report

pdf (1.3MB)
2019-20 Annual Report

pdf (3.2MB)

Project Delivery

We are delivering East West Rail in partnership with a range of stakeholders - who vary depending on the area of the route. Learn more about who are partners are, and how they're helping us deliver East West Rail.

Learn more

Careers at East West Railway Company

At East West Railway Company, we’re changing the way rail projects are delivered. We’re hiring talented, creative problem-solvers, bringing together a talented team with diverse experiences, backgrounds and skills. Sound interesting?