As jobs go Railtrack Regulator must come somewhere between King Canute and Prometheus. He's not many people's image of the "Fat Controller" but Dundee graduate Tom Winsor (Petroleum & Mineral Law, 1983) relishes the colossal task.
No one would ever have suspected that fiercely patriotic Tom Winsor - born and brought up in Broughty Ferry and reputed to have watched Braveheart at least 27 times - would end up living in the most English of English Home Counties. However, drive and ambition got the better of him. Now, as the new UK's Railtrack Regulator, he is going to need to tap into his drive and ambition more than ever before.
The story goes that it was during his routine walks to work at local law firm Thorntons & Dickies that a life-altering idea gradually began to dawn upon him. His daily walk took him past the doorstep of Dundee University's centre for energy, petroleum & mineral law and policy (CEPMLP). One day, at the age of 25 he decided that his daily walk should stop just there. He told Cameron Timmis writing for Legal Business he has never looked back since: "I thought to myself, if I don't do this now, when I'm 40 and I'm still grinding away, still doing mundane work, I'll kick myself and I won't be able to break out." He gave up legal practice to return to University and embarked upon Dundee's diploma in oil and gas law at CEPMLP - the ticket to his success.
Since then he has earned a formidable reputation. He exchanged beautiful sunsets over the Tay for the smog of UK's capital and ultimately a fast-track job which would daunt many others. The journey to the top began when he joined international law firm, Denton Hall, in 1991 where he soon became one of their star players. He also played a pivotal role during the privatisation of Railtrack (who own the majority of the UK's railway infrastructure) from 1993-1995 as chief legal adviser to the first rail regulator, John Swift QC. Now, himself the UK's Railtrack Regulator, appointed in July 1999 and chosen by the deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, for his firm-no-messing reputation as well as the role he took during its privatisation, he really is in the UK's spotlight.
His reputation rather precedes him. Rumours and speculation were rife as journalists awaited his arrival at a press conference last November in Edinburgh Waverley station. Murmurings of: "He's a rottweiler....he's got a fearsome temper" could apparently be heard among the press gang but when he finally arrived it seemed that heartsink was experienced all round. What disembarked from the Great Northern Train was not the fearsome rottweiler imagined but a bespectacled, pinstriped, bracered....gentleman?
Last July the heat was on. All eyes were turned to Tom Winsor when he was appointed as Railtrack's new regulator - the Rail Regulator who was going to make a difference, the Rail Regulator who is going to stick up for rail passengers (being one himself), and the Rail Regulator that's not going to take any nonsense from any of the rail companies. Allegedly, when he walked into his office on the first Monday of July Tom faced previous reports of over one million complaints by rail passengers and 'unacceptable' performance ratings from some of the 25 train-operating companies while the heavily subsidised Railtrack and operating companies continue to report healthy profits. Winsor, confronting mission impossible, didn't disappoint. Within days stern warnings had been delivered and expectations laid on the line. Those on the receiving end were beginning not to sleep quite so easily.
Now, in the aftermath of the Paddington train disaster the temperature has become a little more than merely uncomfortable. Tom, taking more than his fair share of headlines, warned that he could withdraw the operating licenses of First Great Western and Thames Trains subject to results of the Health and Safety Executive's investigation into the crash.
And what of the future? His first term as regulator isn't due to end until 2004, but it looks as if it could be a lengthy stay for Tom, as he told The Scotsman: "I'm only 41 now so I could still have five more four-year terms and still only be 61." In the meantime, Tom still manages to fit into a hectic schedule his duty as Honorary Lecturer at Dundee's CEPMLP where all this began.
