IFRAME: https://www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-N9RMBBF Subscribe now Login * Subscribe Now * Login * Please wait.... * * News + UK + World + US + UK Politics + Brexit + Tech + Science + Education + Environment + Health + Business + InFact * Politics + Brexit + Conservatives + Labour + Lib Dems + SNP + Green Party + DUP + Boris Johnson + Jeremy Corbyn + US Politics * Voices + Editorials + Shappi Khorsandi + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Mark Steel + Janet Street-Porter + Chuka Umunna + John Rentoul + Jenny Éclair + Matthew Norman + Sean O'Grady + Tom Peck * Sport + Football + Rugby union + Cricket + F1 + Boxing + Tennis + Cycling + Golf + Miguel Delaney + Podcast + US sports * Culture + Film + Music + TV & radio + Books + Art + Photography + Theatre & dance + Streaming Hub + Geoffrey Macnab + Clarisse Loughrey + Ed Cumming + Crosswords & puzzles * Video * Indy/Life + Travel + Women + Fashion & beauty + Food & drink + Dating & relationships + Health & fitness + Tech + Money + Design & home + Motoring * IndyBest + Christmas + Home & garden + Kids + Books + Travel & outdoors + Fashion & beauty + Food & drink + Tech + Sports & fitness * Long Reads * indy100 * Vouchers + TUI + Groupon + Argos + Hyperoptic + Just Eat + Currys + Nike + Travelodge + National Trust + boohoo * Premium + Chris Blackhurst + Hamish McRae + Janet Street-Porter + Mary Dejevsky + Matthew Norman + Jenny Éclair * 20 Pledges * Please wait.... * + UK Edition + US Edition Subscribe Now Subscribe Now * News + UK + World + US + Politics + Brexit + Tech + Science + Education + Environment + Health + Business + InFact + Long reads * Politics + Brexit + Conservatives + Labour + Lib Dems + SNP + Green Party + DUP + Boris Johnson + Jeremy Corbyn + US Politics * Voices + Editorials + Shappi Khorsandi + Mary Dejevsky + Robert Fisk + Mark Steel + Janet Street-Porter + Chuka Ummuna + John Rentoul + Jenny Éclair + Matthew Norman + Sean O'Grady + Tom Peck * Sport + Football + Rugby union + Cricket + F1 + Boxing + Tennis + Cycling + Golf + Miguel Delaney + Podcast + US sports * Culture + Film + Music + TV & radio + Books + Art + Photography + Theatre & dance + Streaming Hub + Geoffrey Macnab + Clarisse Loughrey + Ed Cumming + Crosswords & puzzles * Indy/life + Travel + Fashion & beauty + Food & drink + Health & fitness + Dating & Relationships + Tech o iPhone o Tech news o Tech culture o Gaming o Cryptocurrency + Motoring + Women * Video * IndyBest + Christmas + Sports & Fitness + Home & Garden + Kids + Books + Fashion & Beauty + Food & Drink + Travel & Outdoors + Tech * Money + Mortgages + Loans + Savings + Pensions + Money transfers + Health insurance + Money Deals * indy100 * Voucher Codes + TUI + Groupon + Argos + Hyperoptic + Just Eat + Currys + Nike + Travelodge + National Trust + boohoo * Premium + Subscription offers + Independent Premium app + Daily Edition app + Chris Blackhurst + Hamish McRae + Janet Street-Porter + Mary Dejevsky + Matthew Norman + Jenny Éclair * 20 Pledges * UK Edition + UK Edition + US Edition Please wait.... Log in using your social network account OR Log in directly with The Independent {{message}} ____________________ Please enter an email address Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address ____________________ Please enter a valid password [ ] Keep me logged in (BUTTON) Submit Forgotten your password? Want an ad-free experience? Subscribe to Independent Premium. View offers Hi {{fullName}} * My Independent Premium * Account details * Help centre * Logout (BUTTON) News > UK > Home News Network Rail embroiled in conflict of interest row over its new 'special director' Richard Brown, recently appointed to the ailing firm, has strong links with HS2 * Mark Leftly @MLeftly * Sunday 5 July 2015 02:45 {{^moreThanTen}} * {{total}} comments {{/moreThanTen}} * An artist’s impression of an HS2 train, due to start running in 2026 Network Rail is embroiled in a conflict of interest row after the Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin drafted in a “special director” to keep an eye on the ailing organisation. Mr McLoughlin asked the former Eurostar chairman Richard Brown to sit on Network Rail’s board last month when he confirmed that the state-backed group’s £38.5bn spending programme was in disarray. However, Mr Brown is also a deputy chairman at HS2 Ltd, which is behind the £42.6bn High Speed Two railway, and sits on the Department for Transport’s board. Rail sources said the DfT role could mean Mr Brown helps to approve requests that he was making for Network Rail. Download the new Indpendent Premium app Sharing the full story, not just the headlines (BUTTON) Download now HS2 Ltd and Network Rail have clashed over which organisations should run HS2 when the first phase opens in 2026. “Richard Brown is compromised left, right and centre,” said one rail executive, who noted that there was pressure for Mr Brown to drop at least one of the roles. Network Rail looks after the country’s 18 biggest stations, including Manchester Piccadilly and Edinburgh Waverley, but its main job is to maintain and run 20,000 miles of track. Richard Brown is also a deputy chairman at HS2 Ltd (AFP/Getty) Read more * Network Rail prepares ground for sale of its properties * Labour demands answers over delays to Network Rail projects * Train stations could be hived off to split Network Rail Delays to its engineering work have meant that one in 10 trains does not reach its final destination on time. A DfT spokesman said: “Richard Brown has been appointed special director to Network Rail for a period of 12 months. We do not believe that there are any conflicts of interest which prevent him from serving on the board of DfT or HS2 in conjunction with this role. Were any conflict to arise in the course of business, there are appropriate processes in place to identify and manage this.” Network Rail’s non-executive director Chris Gibb has completed a joint review with French authorities into the causes and consequences of disruption to the Channel Tunnel as a result of a fire in January. The Office of Rail Regulation received the report on Friday. It is understood that the findings could help Eurotunnel and train operators tackle the problems caused by French industrial action and migrants’ attempts to board vehicles. Independent news email Only the best news in your inbox ____________________ Enter your email address (BUTTON) Continue (BUTTON) Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. Log in to update your newsletter preferences Register with your social account or click here to log in receiveIndyHeadlines [ ] I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email Update newsletter preferences Comments Share your thoughts and debate the big issues Learn more (BUTTON) {{#singleComment_p}}{{value_p}} Independent Premium comment{{/singleComment_p}}{{^singleComment_p}}{{value_p}} Independent Premium comments{{/singleComment_p}} (BUTTON) {{#singleComment_open}}{{value}} open comment{{/singleComment_open}}{{^singleComment_open}}{{value}} open comments{{/singleComment_open}} Open Comments Join the discussion (BUTTON) Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. * You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully * Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable * Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties * We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. Create a commenting name to join the debate ____________________ (BUTTON) Submit Please try again, the name must be unique Only letters and numbers accepted ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ (BUTTON) Post (BUTTON) {{#moreThanOne}} * Newest first * Oldest first * Most liked {{/moreThanOne}} Loading comments... {{^comments}} There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts {{/comments}} {{#comments}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} Reply {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} {{#replies}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} Reply {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} {{#replies}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} {{/replies}} {{/replies}} {{/comments}} Loading comments... {{^comments}} There are no comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts {{/comments}} {{#comments}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} Reply {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} Create a commenting name to join the debate ____________________ (BUTTON) Submit Please try again, the name must be unique ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ (BUTTON) Cancel (BUTTON) Post (BUTTON) {{#replies}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} Reply {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} Create a commenting name to join the debate ____________________ (BUTTON) Submit Please try again, the name must be unique ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ (BUTTON) Cancel (BUTTON) Post (BUTTON) {{#replies}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} {{/replies}} {{/replies}} {{/comments}} {{#showMore}} (BUTTON) Read more {{/showMore}} Minds Comments Join the discussion (BUTTON) Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines. * You may not agree with our views, or other users’, but please respond to them respectfully * Swearing, personal abuse, racism, sexism, homophobia and other discriminatory or inciteful language is not acceptable * Do not impersonate other users or reveal private information about third parties * We reserve the right to delete inappropriate posts and ban offending users without notification You can find our Community Guidelines in full here. {{^nickname}} Create a commenting name to join the debate ____________________ (BUTTON) Submit Please try again, the name must be unique {{/nickname}} ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ (BUTTON) Post (BUTTON) {{#moreThanOne_p}} * Newest first * Oldest first * Most liked {{/moreThanOne_p}} Loading comments... {{^comments}} There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts {{/comments}} {{#comments}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} Reply {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} {{#replies}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} Reply {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} {{#replies}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} {{/replies}} {{/replies}} {{/comments}} Loading comments... {{^comments}} There are no Independent Premium comments yet - be the first to add your thoughts {{/comments}} {{#comments}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} Reply {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} Create a commenting name to join the debate ____________________ (BUTTON) Submit Please try again, the name must be unique ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ (BUTTON) Cancel (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Post {{#replies}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} Reply {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} Create a commenting name to join the debate ____________________ (BUTTON) Submit Please try again, the name must be unique ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ (BUTTON) Cancel (BUTTON) (BUTTON) Post {{#replies}} {{sender.name}} {{dateTime}} {{{commentText}}} {{#sender.isSelf}} Delete {{/sender.isSelf}} (BUTTON) {{posVotes}} (BUTTON) {{negVotes}} {{/replies}} {{/replies}} {{/comments}} {{#showMore_p}} (BUTTON) Read more {{/showMore_p}} (BUTTON) Follow comments Enter your email to follow new comments on this article. ____________________ (BUTTON) Subscribe Thanks for subscribing! {{errorMessage}} (BUTTON) Vote Are you sure you want to submit this vote? (BUTTON) Submit vote (BUTTON) Cancel You must be logged in to vote. (BUTTON) Report Comment Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? (BUTTON) Cancel (BUTTON) Flag comment This comment has been flagged. (BUTTON) Subscribe to Independent Premium to debate the big issues Want to discuss real-world problems, be involved in the most engaging discussions and hear from the journalists? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. (BUTTON) Subscribe Already registered? Log in (BUTTON) Report Comment Are you sure you want to mark this comment as inappropriate? (BUTTON) Flag comment (BUTTON) Cancel This comment has been flagged. (BUTTON) Delete Comment Are you sure you want to delete this comment? (BUTTON) Cancel (BUTTON) Delete comment Deleting comment... This comment has been deleted. This comment has been deleted. (BUTTON) About The Independent commenting Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment. The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates. (BUTTON) Subscribe Already registered? Log in {{shortHeadline}} Most popular {{title}} Sponsored features {{title}} Popular videos {{title}} (BUTTON) Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. (BUTTON) Subscribe Already registered? Log in Article bookmarked Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile [ ] Don't show me this message again * Get in touch + Contact us + Jobs + * Our products + Subscriptions + Install our apps + Archive * Other publications + Evening Standard + Novaya Gazeta * Extras + All topics + Voucher codes + Advertising guide + Syndication * Legal + Code of conduct and complaints + Contributors + Cookie policy + Privacy notice + User policies [unip?en=page_view] (BUTTON) Created with Sketch. Network Rail embroiled in conflict of interest row over its new 1/2 An artist’s impression of an HS2 train, due to start running in 2026 2/2 Richard Brown is also a deputy chairman at HS2 Ltd AFP/Getty