Larkinson announces departure from ORR

John Larkinson has announced he will leave his role as Chief Executive of the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) at the end of April 2026, bringing to a close a two-decade career at the regulator, including seven years at its helm.

He informed ORR Chair Declan Collier of his decision a month ago, confirming that he intends to retire from executive roles. The ORR Board has started the process of appointing his successor.

John Larkinson said: “I feel exceptionally fortunate to have played my part in the wider industry and for 20 years at the ORR and particularly to be ORR’s Chief Executive. It has been a great privilege to lead ORR through what has at times been a challenging, but ultimately overwhelmingly rewarding, period as the rail and road sectors recovered from the pandemic and as the rail sector is being reformed.

“There is never a perfect time to move on, but most of my tenure as Chief Executive has been against a backdrop of rail reform, and I feel that the introduction of the Railways Bill into Parliament is an appropriate time to depart. I want to give a new Chief Executive the opportunity and the time to continue the process of transforming the ORR into its new roles set out in the Railways Bill and support the creation of Great British Railways.”