FirstGroup has announced that they have appointed a new managing director of the open access rail operator, Hull Trains.

Louise Cheeseman, who was formerly Service Delivery Director at Hull Trains, but now moves up to the top to become Managing Director of the train operator.

Louise started her working life in the rail industry in 2001 when she became a guard at Northern Rail. Louise was quickly promoted through a variety of safety roles before she became the General Manager for the Docklands Light Railway, which included managing operations for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

FirstGroup has appointed Louise Cheeseman, formerly Service Delivery Director at Hull Trains, as Managing Director of the open access rail operator.

Following on from this, she spent some time in Sydney to assist with the railway bid. Louise then became Service Delivery Director for Manchester Metrolink, before joining Hull Trains at a similar capacity and has been acting Interim Managing Director since March 2018.

What did the officials say?

Commenting, Steve Montgomery, Managing Director First Rail, said:

“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Louise to lead Hull Trains. Louise has a wealth of global experience in the rail sector and has held several senior positions within the industry. We have exciting plans for Hull Trains including new rolling stock which will provide more seats for our customers and also offer the potential for more reliable journeys and further customer improvements when they enter service in 2019.”

Commenting, Louise Cheeseman said:

“I look forward to leading the team at Hull Trains and building on the successes that we have achieved over recent years, in which we regularly score highly in the industry’s independent satisfaction surveys. We will offer ambitious improvements for passengers. We recently invested £60 million in the development and production of five new hi-tech, bi-mode trains that will come into service next year. This will not only deliver a more reliable service, it will increase capacity and keep people moving and communities prospering as we connect the Hull and Humber region to the capital.”

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