John Armitt, chief executive of Network Rail and one of the key figures in setting up the not-for-profit rail infrastructure operator, is to retire in July, the company announced on Tuesday.
Mr Armitt, 60, will be replaced by Iain Coucher, another key figure in the company’s formation and currently deputy chief executive. Mr Coucher has played a key role in the dramatic improvement in train punctuality since the company took over the rail network from Railtrack, its predecessor.
