John Larkinson has announced he will leave his role as Chief Executive of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) at the end of April 2026, bringing to a close a two-decade career at the regulator, including seven years at its helm.
He informed ORR Chair Declan Collier of his decision a month ago, confirming that he intends to retire from executive roles. The ORR Board will now begin the process of appointing his successor.
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.”
