Lunchtime Briefing with Conrad Bailey, Director General, Rail Strategy and Services Group, Department for Transport
Author WIG Date 2 Nov 2023
We are delighted to host Conrad Bailey for this lunchtime briefing to share insight into his team’s priorities at the DfT
Over the last two years rail usage in the UK has been steadily increasing, following the pandemic. However government statistics for 2022 show that at their peak in March passenger journeys were still only 73% of an equivalent day pre-COVID-19. Responding to shifts in commuting patterns, ongoing strike action, changes to franchises, and the establishment of Great British Railways are some of the challenges ahead for the Rail Strategy and Services Group. There are also significant opportunities to modernise the UK’s railways; harnessing technological change to support a UK wide green economy and improve passenger experience, which will require concerted cross-sector collaboration to action.
We are delighted to host Conrad Bailey for this lunchtime briefing to share insight into his team’s priorities for the months and years ahead. Join us for your opportunity to:
- Understand focus areas for the DfT’s Rail Strategy and Services Group and how they relate to broader government policy such as levelling-up and Net Zero
- Identify where there is opportunity for your organisation to support the delivery of a future-proofed UK rail network
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Speaker at the Event
As Director General for Rail Strategy and Services Group, Conrad will contribute to the collective leadership of the Department for Transport as Board and Executive Committee members and leaders of the Rail Group.
He has overall responsibility for: developing strategy and policy for the rail sector in the context of broader government policy; managing the department’s overall expenditure on rail services and infrastructure; ensuring delivery of major projects and programmes including the £5.7 billion Intercity Express Programme, £7 billion Thameslink programme and £14.8 billion Crossrail programme (jointly with Transport for London). Delivering the ongoing programme of rail franchises; and effective sponsorship of: British Transport Police, Network Rail, Office of Rail and Road, Rail Accidents Investigation Branch, Transport Focus.
In 2020 he led the department’s response to COVID-19. Before that, he was the Director of Rail Strategy, Reform and Analysis and Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for the Williams Rail Review.
Before joining DfT in 2018 he was the Director for the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) and Defence Director in the National Security Secretariat.
Earlier in his career, he was the head of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) conflict department and worked in the Ministry of Defence in a range of operational, business-facing and private office roles, including Director of Industrial Policy.
Conrad is also the co-champion of DfT’s Fair Treatment Ambassadors and Neurodiversity Network.
Conrad has an Executive Masters in Public Policy and a B.Sc.(Econ.) in history from LSE.