A new cross-cutting role spanning Greater Anglia and GBRX has been created to improve how railway data is shared and used across publicly owned operators, laying foundations for Great British Railways.
Leon Kong has been appointed Head of Integrated Data Strategy, working across both Greater Anglia and GBRX. The objective is clear: bring together fragmented data sets, remove structural barriers and ensure information is usable by the teams that need it most.
The move forms part of a broader effort to share expertise across publicly owned operators and scale proven initiatives, rather than allowing innovation to remain siloed within individual businesses.
Recent examples underline what can be achieved when data is applied well:
- South Eastern Railway – train-borne AI monitoring cameras to identify faults and prevent delays before they can occur: Bringing track and train together: innovative on-board camera programme expanded to spot issues before they cause delays
- LNER – machine learning tool that identifies services at risk of delay: The Tech Keeping A Watch On Train Times | LNER
- Northern, Network Rail and BTP – deploy drones to keep trespassers off the tracks and prevent delays: Drones used during school holiday trespassing crackdown in the North East | Northern News
The challenge now is less about generating data and more about connecting it.
Kong brings experience from Greater Anglia, where he has led work to make passenger count data more accessible to customer service and planning teams. That has enabled more responsive timetabling, particularly during high-demand events such as football matchdays, easing crowding through smarter adjustments rather than additional resources.
His new remit is broader. It focuses on addressing fragmentation across organisations, systems and data ownership. That includes improving the discoverability of data held by different stakeholders, navigating commercial and governance constraints, and enabling practical improvements to data quality.
A particular emphasis will be placed on making unstructured operational information usable. AI tools capable of converting text-based data into structured, decision-ready formats are seen as part of the solution. However, Kong is clear that technology alone is not enough; the underlying data must be reliable and fit for purpose if AI is to deliver value at scale.
In practical terms, the role is about ensuring strong local initiatives can be replicated across the network. By working across both an operator and GBRX, the intention is to avoid duplication and accelerate adoption of what already works.
As Great British Railways takes shape, the volume of data under its control will be significant. The success of reform will depend in part on how effectively that information is harnessed to improve performance, customer experience and value for money.
This appointment signals a recognition that integration is not only structural, but informational. If the railway is to function as a coherent system, its data must do the same.
