Oral history interview with Robert Urie, conducted and recorded by David Wharton-Street at the National Railway Museum, York on 12 April 2018. Duration: 1 hr. 4 min. 30 sec. Role as Infrastructure Project Director; appointment to Director Regional Railways North East (RRNE); track access agreement; RRNE steps towards privatisation; RRNE Directors' meeting; Mersey Travel Limited (MTL); formation of Railtrack in 1994; Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and rail safety; Association of Train Operating Companies [ATOC] and role; RRNE responsibilities; RRNE management buyout (MBO) team; progress towards privatisation; new rail initiatives; safety within RRNE; train service initiatives; safety within train operating unit (TOU) and train operating company (TOC); transfer of franchise to MTL; Passenger Transport Executives’ attitude to an external franchise; creation of Railtrack and British Rail Infrastructure Services (BRIS); rolling stock companies (ROSCOs); feelings on privatisation; benefits to public of privatisation

One of over 150 oral history recordings made as part of the Britain’s Railways All Change (BRAC) archive project. BRAC was set-up to cover gaps in documenting the railway privatisation process in the United Kingdom, between 1994 and 1997, when the government-owned British Rail was dismantled into over 100 privately-owned companies. The interviews capture the recollections of people involved in the planning and implementation of the privatisation process, the management of change and running the railway during privatisation.