Alex Hynes lands top DfT rail role

Alex Hynes has been appointed new Chief Executive of Department for Transport Operator Limited (DFTO) to oversee the transition to Great British Railways (GBR). He is currently Director General, Rail Services, at the DfT, a post he has held for 20 months.

Hynes, 48, will take over from Robin Gisby, who is retiring when his fixed term contract ends on 23 December.

Industry sources suggest Hynes may be being lined up for the role of GBR’s Chief Executive.

DFTO is the Government body which is bringing all currently privately-owned train operators into public ownership ahead of the creation of Great British Railways. More than 200 civil servants will transfer from DfT rail teams to DFTO by 1 April 2026.

To date, half of rail operators are in public ownership following Greater Anglia’s service transfer in October.

Before joining the DfT, Hynes spent nearly 20 years working for train operators. This included six years as Managing Director at ScotRail, a year as Managing Director at Arriva Rail North, two years as Managing Director at Northern Rail, and four years as Commercial Director at London Midland.