Richard Watts, Managing Director of Balfour Beatty’s UK Rail business, has featured in Rail Director Magazine, setting out his priorities and vision for the future.

Richard brings over 20 years of industry experience to the company, and in the article he reflects on joining the business at a pivotal moment for the sector. As major programmes such as Northern Powerhouse Rail and the Transpennine Route Upgrade progress, he emphasises the importance of collaborative working and the need for resilient, well‑planned infrastructure to meet the changing demands of passengers, communities and freight users.

Talking about the importance of collaboration, Richard said: “Passengers and freight operators value reliability, journey times and efficiency. We will bring the strengths of our multidisciplinary teams together to provide whole system solutions rather than delivering isolated packages of work.”

The full feature can be read in the February 2026 edition of Rail Director magazine, from pages 86-88 here.