Christopher Wesley Bolt was born in 1953. He became the Chief Economist at the Office of the Rail Regulator from 1994 until his appointment in 1998 as the Rail Regulator, holding this post until 1999.

He also served as the Chair of the Office of Rail Regulation between 2004 and 2009 as well as the Public Private Partnership Arbiter for London Underground from 2002 until 2010.