Head of Network Rail 'should be chosen by the government'

A TRADE union yesterday urged the government to appoint the next chief executive of Network Rail after claiming the rail maintenance company had been operating for too long as a privately run firm.

Iain Coucher came under attack from the Transport Salaried Staffs Association after announcing on Thursday that he was resigning from the job but would stay on to help appoint his successor.

TSSA general secretary Gerry Doherty said: "Iain Coucher helping to appoint his successor is like Al Capone announcing he is going to hang around and help the mayor clean up Chicago.

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"It is high time the transport secretary accepted the reality that Network Rail is a wholly-owned taxpayer-funded company that should be firmly under the control of the Department for Transport.

"It is a farce to pretend otherwise. For the past eight years Coucher has run Network Rail as his personal fiefdom, earning over 6 million thanks largely to a ludicrous bonus scheme which rewards him for train punctuality when his firm does not own or run a single train.

"The gravy train has got to stop. We want the railways run for passengers' gain, not bosses' private gain. It should be firmly in the public sector under full ministerial control."

The union said Transport Secretary Philip Hammond should consult as widely as possible to find a successor rather than leaving it to Network Rail to appoint from within.

Network Rail's chairman, Rick Haythornwaite, said Coucher had been an "outstanding leader", and the railways had been transformed during his time at the company.

Network Rail is reportedly set for a clash with the government over the payment of bonuses to staff and senior managers.

The rail infrastructure operator is due to announce its staff bonuses at the end of the month, leading to speculation that senior staff could receive hundreds of thousands of pounds on top of their salaries.

Last year, Coucher waived his annual bonus of around 300,000 but still received 150,000 as part of a three-year rolling management incentive scheme on top of his salary of around 600,000.

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