A NORTHWICH man has been hired by Northern to help improve the performance and maintenance of its trains.

Tony Plumbley will join the UK's second largest train operator on March 21 as its new head of engineering.

In his new role, Tony, who is leaving Merseyrail, will manage major fleet projects and performance enhancement schemes.

The schemes are aimed at improving the maintenance and performance of Northern’s rolling stock, while Tony will also help to deliver new asset information systems.

Jack Commandeur, engineering director at Northern, said: “Tony has a wealth of experience of engineering in the rail industry.

Northwich Guardian: Tony Plumbley, from Northwich, will be Northern's new head of engineeringTony Plumbley, from Northwich, will be Northern's new head of engineering

“His experience of managing a legacy fleet whilst simultaneously overseeing the introduction of all-new, state of the art rolling stock makes him a great addition to the Northern team.”

Tony added: “Northern has an ambitious programme of fleet upgrades in the pipeline and I look forward to working with their teams across the north of England to deliver those for the business and ultimately for our customers to enjoy.”

Tony, who lives in Northwich, has previously worked for Knorr-Bremse, Cross Country, Arriva and Bombardier.

Northern operates more than 2,000 services a day to more than 500 stations across the north of England.