Nigel Holness on four decades of rail innovation, Olympic legacy, and the future of global transport

Leon's latest guest on the Lunch with Leon podcast is Nigel Holness, a rail industry expert with an extraordinary 40-year career spanning from London Underground signalling technician to global transport consultant. Speaking about his journey through some of the most transformative periods in British transport history, Nigel reflects on the evolution of TfL, the challenges of major infrastructure projects, and the lessons being applied to rail systems worldwide.

The conversation begins with Nigel marking a significant milestone. "I've been in the industry, the rail industry, public transport industry for coming up to 40 years. I can't believe how quickly the time has gone when I look back," he explains, having started in February 1986 as a 19-year-old signalling technician with a philosophy that has clearly served him well: "You get out of your career where you put into it."

The discussion turns to one of the most significant events in TfL's history: the 7/7 London bombings. Nigel was serving as duty director for the Tube when the attacks occurred, leading to a dramatic journey back to central London involving a police boat down the Thames. However, it was the response the following day that truly stood out.

"I think that experience taught me a lot about leadership, a lot about resilience, but of course a lot about teamwork and collaboration," he reflects, praising the "absolutely phenomenal job" done by frontline staff across buses, tubes, and emergency services in restoring services and sending a powerful message of resilience.

The 2012 Olympics represents another career highlight, with Nigel positioned in the network control centre during the opening ceremony. Despite extensive rehearsals featuring multiple simulated crises, Leon notes the irony that "when it came to the actual delivery of the games, we had very little to do."

The third major project Nigel discusses is the Elizabeth line, where he played a crucial role in bringing the railway into operation. Working with teams from TfL, MTR, and Crossrail, the project demonstrated the complexity of modern rail delivery but ultimately delivered significant benefits. Leon draws parallels with the Jubilee line extension, noting how quickly public memory moves past project difficulties once passengers experience the service: "The Elizabeth line is continuing to do everything anybody ever wanted."

Now working as a consultant on major projects worldwide, Nigel brings lessons from London to railways in Australia and Ireland. He identifies the fundamental challenge facing these complex projects: "You get all of these tremendous interfaces between organisations, technical interfaces, operational interfaces, commercial interfaces, in fact almost cultural interfaces as well.”

Systems integration emerges as a particularly complex challenge. Drawing on his experience with the Elizabeth line, Nigel explains how the railway systems component is often underestimated, with multiple organisations, safety assessments, and software development cycles creating layers of complexity that can significantly impact project timelines.

The conversation touches on technological advances, particularly around battery technology for trains. Nigel recently examined Transport for Wales's tri-mode trains that

operate on overhead lines, battery power, and diesel backup. "Battery technology's probably got quite a long way to go yet. It's still very heavy," he notes, while acknowledging its role in supporting sustainability.

Looking at the global picture, Nigel observes how British expertise is shaping railways worldwide, particularly in Australia where many UK professionals are applying digital signalling knowledge gained from London projects.

Throughout their conversation, Nigel's passion for collaborative working and learning from project experiences shines through. Now applying lessons from London's transport transformation to major projects worldwide, he continues to advocate for the kind of integrated, technology-enabled approaches that have made London a global leader in urban transport. Listen to the full episode here.