West Midlands-based
BCIMO has appointed Steve McBride (pictured) as its new business development director. He has held senior positions in the rail industry across the train manufacturing, rolling stock maintenance and leasing sectors for more than 30 years, including at Intercity West Coast, Alstom, Angel Trains, Vivarail and STM Rail. Mr McBride has also worked as a consultant for organisations within the industry and is currently chairman at
UKRL, a role in which will be ongoing.
He took up his role at BCIMO this month and will focus predominantly on developing the organisation’s relationship with key industry stakeholders across the breadth of heavy, light and very light rail, in particular highlighting the £32 million purpose-built Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre’s (VLRNIC) rail development and test site facilities.
The site encompasses an off-network 2.2km test track including an 870m tunnel section, thus providing significant potential for users to develop and test within an operationally indicative space. Within the Centre, there is a three-storey engineering hall at 60m long x 20m wide and adjacent is a further 36 x 10m standalone workshop.
In addition, the VLRNIC also offers impressive meeting and event spaces, including a 245m
2 exhibition hall with reception and adjacent auditorium, alongside a suite of meeting rooms, providing a comprehensive and flexible portfolio of facilities for clients, as illustrated within the Clean Futures Demonstration Day.
Reflecting on his arrival at the VLRNIC, Mr McBride said: “On first sight of the centre, I just knew it was the place to be. The industry needs world-class innovation and a place like BCIMO is well placed to partner with organisations who want to make things better. I am very much looking forward to working with the team and helping to bring forward new ideas.”
BCIMO CEO Neil Fulton concluded: “This is great news for BCIMO — the opportunity to bring someone with Steve’s experience and understanding of the rail industry is another important step for us.”