Oral history interview with Dr. John Prideaux, conducted and recorded by Frank Paterson (session 2) at the interviewee's home in London on 14 May 2019. Duration: 2 hr. 10 min. 1 sec. Move from Intercity to New Ventures; Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL) route; privatisation discussions with Malcolm Rifkind; Roger Freeman; New Ventures remit; Heathrow Express; Bill Bradshaw input; CTRL political disagreements; review of route specifications; Arup; relationships between British Rail (BR) and local authorities; Union Railways established; environmental issues; awareness campaign; terminus and station decisions; industry reaction when leaving BR; effects on personal life; future career options; Nomura; rolling stock companies (ROSCOs); Guy Hands; joining Angel Trains; reflections on career; Class 390 Pendelino; Chairman Manchester Tram System; Chairman Ffestiniog Railway

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.