New MD for Transport for Wales Rail

Transport for Wales has confirmed the appointment of Jan Chaudhry van der Velde as TfW Rail’s new Managing Director.

James Price, TfW Chief Executive, said: “Jan has an enormous amount of experience working in the UK rail industry, in both the public and private sector. 

“We’re delighted to be able to bring someone with such a wealth of knowledge on board at such a crucial time for the organisation.”

After a physics degree at Birmingham University, Jan Chaudhry van der Velde joined British Rail in 1989 on its general management training course, based in Norwich. Throughout the 1990s, he undertook a series of front line supervisory and management roles, with responsibility for traincrew, station staff, signalling and control staff, revenue protection, shunting, cleaning and rail safety.

In 2003, he became the Operations & Retail Director at Thameslink, and then Commercial Director at sister company Southern. In 2008, he was appointed as Operations Director at South West Trains. A period of time at owning group level with Abellio UK followed from 2012, where he sat on the board of Northern and was a senior member of the bid team for the Scotrail franchise.

Jan became TOC MD at Merseyrail in 2015 and then the same position in 2018 when Abellio won the West Midlands franchise. Jan is currently relocating to south east Wales and took up his new role at the end of March.

Photo credit: Transport for Wales

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