In a ground-breaking move, two senior railway officials from Network Rail and Arriva Rail London have taken part in a job swap.

Matt Pocock, who is currently ARL’s Operations Director, will replace Gunnar Lindahl as Network Rail’s Wessex route Operations Director on an 18-month secondment.

In turn, Gunnar Lindahl will replace Matt Pocock as Arriva Rail London’s Operations Director for the same period of time.

The moves are due to take place in August 2023, and although this is the first time that senior-level staff have swapped jobs between the two companies, both hope that there will be further opportunities in the future.

With the rail industry moving towards Great British Railways (GBR) where infrastructure and train operations will combine to work as a single entity, the partnership between Arriva Rail London and Network Rail demonstrates how organisations are investing in and developing their teams as a recognition that track and trains need to work more closely than ever before.

Both organisations are expected to benefit from Matt and Gunnar’s differing skill sets as they bring new insights and ways of working into their new roles.

They will also gain experience that will be greatly beneficial once they return to their original roles, enhancing senior-level knowledge of how both infrastructure and train service operations are managed.

With a better understanding of each company’s business, their long-term decision-making will be enhanced by putting passengers at the forefront of their activities and decision-making processes.

Matt Pocock

• Matt started his rail career with Network Rail in 2001, working in both its Western and Wessex routes.
• He also spent time as a System Operator, leading the centralisation of Short Term Planning (STP) at Milton Keynes.
• He then led the mobilisation of the operations elements of the new Northern Rail franchise before joining CrossCountry as the head of train planning & resources. Matt joined Arriva in 2012, and worked at Arriva Rail London from the beginning of its current concession in 2016.
• He was initially part of the mobilisation team before becoming performance director before being appointed operations director in 2021.

Gunnar Lindahl

• Gunnar Lindahl joined the railway industry in 2013, joining London Underground as a Graduate Trainee, before being appointed as Service Controller for the Central Line.
• He joined Network Rail in 2017, and in 2017 he was appointed as Senior Incident Officer for the South East Route, responsible for leading the response during major incidents.
• In 2020 he became the Wessex route Operations Director and has also led the corporate response to the industrial action over the last year.

Ellie Burrows, regional managing director for Network Rail’s Southern region, said: “It’s never been a more important time that track and train work together to ensure the rail industry operates hand in glove for the benefit of rail customers and the taxpayer.

“The opportunity to work in partnership with ARL to grow our leaders’ whole system knowledge of the industry was an easy decision. There is never a bad time to listen, learn and improve and learning from each other and sharing this knowledge will undoubtedly mutually benefit both organisations.

“This is the first senior-level industry job swap for Network Rail’s Southern region and ARL and it’s something to celebrate. We are committed to growing and supporting our team members so we create an organisation fit for the future and we hope this initiative is the first of many.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to wish Gunnar and Matt all the very best in their new roles.”

Paul Hutchings, Managing Director at Arriva Rail London, said: “Arriva Rail London is committed to supporting internal development for colleagues across the business. This agreement with Network Rail will have long-term benefits for both ARL and the London Overground, through wider industry insight and fresh perspective. I wish Matt every success in his secondment and look forward to welcoming Gunnar to the ARL family.”