The second Yorkshire on the Committee. Rupert graduated from Leeds University with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1992. Rupert could be said to have railways in his blood as his father spent 35 years working in the railway industry and his enthusiasm for it was passed down to the next generation. Destined to follow his father, privatisation changed his career aspirations significantly. After sometime working in university research, he is now a Partner and Head of Electrical Engineering in a leading UK firm of mechanical & electrical consulting engineers working primarily in the construction industry.

Like Philip Lawton, Rupert still has a strong interest in steam railways and railway technology and regularly drives steam locomotives on the world's oldest railway back home in Yorkshire. As result he has some knowledge of railway technology and operation.

Today Rupert is a regular commuter from Bletchley and has experienced at first hand the delays, cancellations and general mismanagement of the Euston services. Rupert joined the group in 2006 and has been active at a personal level in trying to get the authorities to re-dress the decline in the quality of our services. Those who travel from Milton Keynes Central believe they have been poorly served, give Rupert your ear for a few minutes and he will tell you in no uncertain terms just how much worse it has been for the Bletchley Commuter. Rupert is therefore ideally placed not only to represent Bletchley passengers but also to speak on the failure of our railway as a whole.

There is one more string to his bow. Residents of Milton Keynes will remember some years ago considerable opposition to landfill expansion and the building of the Shanks Waste Services incinerator. You may also recall that a campaign group were set up that galvanised the local community such that after months of battling the company and local and regulatory bodies, the scheme was abandoned. The leader of that campaign was Rupert Lodge. His experience in this milestone achievement will be priceless as MK Rail Users seek to force our rail providers to deliver on franchise agreements and passenger charters.

Rupert says, “I’ve just had enough. I pay thousands of pounds a year for my ticket, and passengers, like me, want a quality of service that is reliable and represents some value for the high price we have to pay. I joined the group as a means of influencing those responsible for delivering our services. With the inexcusable collapse of services since the introduction of the 14th December timetable, I was delighted that Philip called a special meeting to explore the avenues we can pursue to get quality rail travel back on the agenda.”

Continuing, “I will be using all the experience I gained in the incinerator campaign to bring this campaign to an equally successful conclusion.” On a lighter note, harking back to his love of steam, Rupert quips, “I will not however be campaigning for the return of Duchesses and Black 5’s on services through MK.” 

 

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