After two decades at the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and seven
years as Chief Executive, John Larkinson has announced his
decision to leave ORR at the end of April 2026.
ORR's Chief Executive informed Chair, Declan Collier a month ago
of his decision to retire from executive roles and following
consultation with the Chair, will leave at the end of April 2026.
The Chair and Board will now start the process of recruiting a
successor.
Chief Executive, John Larkinson, said:
“I feel exceptionally fortunate to have played my part in the
wider industry and for 20 years at the ORR and particularly to be
ORR's Chief Executive. It has been a great privilege to lead ORR
through what has at times been a challenging, but ultimately
overwhelmingly rewarding, period as the rail and road sectors
recovered from the pandemic and as the rail sector is being
reformed.
“There is never a perfect time to move on, but most of my tenure
as Chief Executive has been against a backdrop of rail reform,
and I feel that the introduction of the Railways Bill into
Parliament is an appropriate time to depart. I want to give a new
Chief Executive the opportunity and the time to continue the
process of transforming the ORR into its new roles set out in the
Railways Bill and support the creation of Great British Railways.
“I would like to thank Declan, the Board, my leadership team and
all the staff at ORR for their help and support over the last
seven years. As an independent and expert body, with a strong
commitment to transparency, the ORR has played a crucial role in
the development of the rail and road sectors, as it will continue
to do so into the future.”
Declan Collier, ORR Chair, said:
“John has been an outstanding Chief Executive, steering the
organisation through the challenges of the last seven years,
including recovery from the pandemic and ongoing rail reform. I
am personally grateful for his leadership at the Board and
commitment to the rail and road industries.”
