Northern has strengthened its engineering leadership team with the appointment of Joanna Milton as Head of Engineering Facilities and Infrastructure.
Milton, a seasoned rail industry professional, will be responsible for overseeing Northern’s train servicing, maintenance, and fleet performance. She will also play a key role in developing the company’s long-term strategy to ensure operational excellence.
Prior to joining Northern, Milton held senior positions at Thames Water, Great Western Railway, and Network Rail.
Commenting on her appointment, Joanna Milton said: “The size and scale of Northern’s engineering operation is what made this role so appealing.
“As a proud Northerner, I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and ensuring the engineering team support our operational colleagues to deliver a reliable service for people right across the region.”
Iain Burnett, director of fleet at Northern, added: “Joanna brings a wealth of experience to the team and was perfectly suited for this new role.
“We have 376 trains in our fleet, which includes over 100 we bought in 2020 as part of a £500m investment – and we’ve recently begun the procurement process for even more new trains.
“As we work towards eliminating diesel-only trains from our fleet by 2040, our engineering leadership team has a huge role to play in improving the service we offer to our customers.”
Northern’s engineering team recently received recognition at the Golden Spanner Awards for their outstanding work on the Class 150 and Class 323 fleets.
