At London Underground, David Waboso has been responsible for leading the £1.5bn annual Tube upgrade programme.
At Network Rail he is to be managing directorate of its Digital Railway directorate, which includes the digital railway programme – a cross-industry programme funded and facilitated by Network Rail to boost the capacity of Britain’s rail network using digital signalling and train control technologies.
Mr Waboso will have a seat on Network Rail’s executive committee and report to chief executive Mark Carne. He replaces Jerry England, who retires later this year.
Mark Carne said: “The single biggest challenge for Britain’s railway is how to provide the capacity we need for the future. Passenger numbers have doubled over the last twenty years and are set to double again over a similar period. Our railway upgrade plan is making a huge difference for passengers, but we need to move further and faster to bring in the kinds of digital technologies that other industries have already shown can provide the capacity gains on existing infrastructure.
“Attracting someone of David's talent highlights the progress we have made and our determination to use technology to unlock capacity on Britain's congested network. I look forward to working with him and I know he will continue Jerry’s excellent work in making sure we have the plans and funding in place to deliver the railway Britain needs for the future.”
Before joining London Underground in 2005, David Waboso was executive director at the Strategic Rail Authority where he was responsible for integrating engineering, safety and standards across the industry and led cross-industry national programmes for new signalling and communications systems. He has also worked for Bechtel and Nichols and played a leading role in the development and delivery of a number of key upgrades including the Thameslink Programme, Jubilee Line extension and Docklands Light Railway.
It is expected that he will start at Network Rail in June for an initial handover period with Jerry England.
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