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!
Get our latest news and opinions
Yes, you are in the right place. After 40 years, we have changed our name from Steer Davies Gleave to mark our growing international footprint and our expanding portfolio into sectors beyond transport.
Explore our new website to learn more about Steer: who we are, how we work and what our future holds.