Mike Brown named as new Transport Commissioner

24 September 2015
Appointment confirmed by TfL Board following an international recruitment and selection process
"I'm delighted to confirm Mike Brown as London's new Transport Commissioner. Under Mike's leadership, we've seen record numbers of customers carried on our Tube, DLR and London Overground networks and Tube delays have fallen by well over 40 per cent since 2010. He brings decades of service, experience and leadership to the role and is the right person to lead the next wave of modernisation and improvement at TfL, to ensure London continues to grow and prosper to the benefit of the whole country"
Boris Johnson said
Mayor of London
  • Brown has been Interim Commissioner since July, following Sir Peter Hendy CBE's appointment as Chairman of Network Rail
  • New Commissioner was previously TfL's Managing Director of London Underground & Rail

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson and the Board of Transport for London (TfL) today confirmed the appointment of Mike Brown MVO as London's new Transport Commissioner, following an international recruitment and selection process. Brown, who has been Interim Commissioner since July following the appointment of Sir Peter Hendy CBE as Chairman of Network Rail, will take up the post with immediate effect.

Brown has been TfL's Managing Director of London Underground and Rail since 2010, where he has overseen record performance of the Tube, DLR and London Overground alongside the vital modernisation of the network and customer service (see Notes to Editors).

He takes up the post at a pivotal moment for the organisation and London. The Capital's population is now 8.6 million, its highest ever, and is due to grow to around 10 million by 2030. TfL continues to invest in the Capital's transport network to harness population growth, provide access to jobs, housing, health, education and leisure and ensure London remains the engine of the UK economy.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said:
'I'm delighted to confirm Mike Brown as London's new Transport Commissioner. Under Mike's leadership, we've seen record numbers of customers carried on our Tube, DLR and London Overground networks and Tube delays have fallen by well over 40 per cent since 2010. He brings decades of service, experience and leadership to the role and is the right person to lead the next wave of modernisation and improvement at TfL, to ensure London continues to grow and prosper to the benefit of the whole country.'

Mike Brown said:
'I am honoured to be appointed London's new Transport Commissioner. London's transport networks have been modernised and customer service transformed in recent years, enabling us to carry more people, more safely and reliably than ever before.

'It is vital that we continue to invest, deliver even greater efficiencies and develop our commercial revenue, to support more jobs, homes and ensure London remains the engine of the UK economy. As Commissioner, my priorities will be the continuing modernisation of the Capital's transport networks, including the upgrade of the Tube, more fast, frequent, metro-style rail services, the delivery of Crossrail and Crossrail 2.

'I'm also determined that, in delivering our unprecedented £4bn Road Modernisation Plan, we keep traffic flowing, the bus network reliable and keep all Londoners, businesses and road users informed so they can plan ahead and avoid disruption.'

 

Notes to Editors:

  • The Commissioner has been appointed following an international recruitment and selection process. This included advertisements in key media including the Economist, FT and Sunday Times, the support of recruitment firm Korn Ferry and was overseen by a Selection Panel comprised of members of the TfL Board. The appointment was confirmed by the full TfL Board;
  • The Commissioner will receive a salary of £355,944, the same as the previous Commissioner in 2015/16. The Commissioner is also eligible for a performance award each year of up to 50 per cent of salary. The performance award is determined each year by the Remuneration Committee of the TfL Board against a range of challenging customer service, operational and financial targets;
  • Record numbers of customers were carried on the London Underground, London Overground and DLR networks in 2014/15 - 1.3 billion on the Tube, 140 million on London Overground and 110 million on the DLR;
  • The DLR now regularly reports figures of over 99 per cent reliability;
  • Customer service on the Tube has been modernised and transformed, with more staff now available in ticket halls and on platforms to assist customers. LU's scores for customer satisfaction and for the helpfulness of staff are currently at record levels;
  • In 2014/15, capacity on the Northern line, one of the busiest on the Underground, was increased by 20 per cent as part of the Tube modernisation programme;
  • The Victoria line is now one of the most frequent rail services in Europe. The recent upgrade between Seven Sisters and Walthamstow will see trains run every 100 seconds at peak times;
  • As part of the modernisation of four lines which will increase capacity by 40 per cent, new 'S stock trains' are now in full passenger service on the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines, and increasingly on the District line. The entire fleet of District line trains will be replaced by the end of 2016.

Biography:
Mike Brown has served as Interim Commissioner since 16 July 2015. He first joined London Underground in 1989 and has performed a number of roles, including General Manager of the Metropolitan line. Mike became LU's Chief Operating Officer in 2003, before leaving in 2008 to become Managing Director of Heathrow Airport for BAA. He returned to TfL in 2010 to become Managing Director of London Underground and Rail.