Andrew Cooper interviewed by Frank Paterson

Interview with Andrew Cooper conducted by Frank Paterson on the 6th September 2021 in London. Duration 1hr. 37 min. 47 sec. Early career; Management Trainee; Steel and Coal works; Posts in freight at Paddington; Intercity sector jobs; Initial West Coat Upgrade submission; Pendolino Impact; Research; Revenue Allocation; Privatisation; meetings; collective view to support not fight privatisation; Gatwick Airport; Set up of Train operating Companies; Anglia team; Management Buy Out preparation; SERCO; GB Railway Franchise; working relationships; Rolling Stock Companies; 1998 move to Great Western; National Express Central Trains; Arriva franchise bid; Virgin Trains; Trade Union attitudes; opinion on privatisation; reflections.

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.