Graham Cross

Graham Cross is a rail professional with a record of radically improving and developing railways to their full potential. He has long experience as a director, in the board room and on the executive teams of train operating companies, as a consultant, in a start-up, as a Director of Rail Delivery Group and in an owning group role.  Graham is currently Commercial Director of MTR Corporation (UK) Ltd which operated the Elizabeth line for TfL. 

As Business Development Director at the award winning Chiltern Railways from 2007 to 2016, Graham led from inception to launch the £320m investment to expand services to Oxford, encompassing 10 miles of new and upgraded railway with new stations at Oxford Parkway and Bicester Village. Graham steered the scheme through the Transport & Works Act process, proved the business case, arranged financing and government agreement, and designed and implemented the train service specification. Over three million passengers were carried in the first 18 months, exceeding the business case forecast, whilst the new stations have gone on to win awards for customer focus.

Earlier in his career, Graham worked in the public sector at the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising and the Strategic Rail Authority, procuring rail improvements on behalf of government and managing and negotiating franchise agreement contracts with private sector companies. He was instrumental in gaining the government guarantee which facilitated the operation of the Heathrow Connect local train service.  He has also worked in consultancy and has expertise in securing investment in new and existing stations.

Graham started his career as a Railtrack Graduate Trainee and has a degree in Geography from Oxford University.