MICHAEL
SCHABA
TRANSPORT REFORM
● Urban ● Passenger ● Freight ● Reform ● CV/Resume ● Contact ● Home
FURTHER ARTICLES
Paying for CrossRail, Institute for Economic Affairs Journal, March 2005
Rail tourism in Uzbekistan, Asian Development Bank, 2002
Break Up Railtrack, Personal View (Leader), Financial Times, London, 22 June 2001
On Rail Competition: Taking the Biscuit? Modern Railways, April 2001
Charging
for Roads: A Better Way to Ease Congestion, Centre for Policy Studies,
London, 1995
Michael Schabas been active in reform and restructuring of transport businesses in Britain, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Australia, Canada, USA, Malawi, and Zimbabwe.
In Germany, Michael Schabas led FirstGroup Plc into the largest, liberalising bus and rail market in Europe, with the acquisition of a medium-sized private bus company in Speyer, now FirstGroup Rhein Neckar GmbH.
2007 Advised the RDC consortium bidding to acquire MAV Cargo, the Hungarian state-owned railfreight company. The consortium was shortlisted but decided not to prepare a final bid.
2006 Negotiated a joint venture between FirstGroup Plc and DSB, the Danish state Railways, which successfully bid for the Oresund Concession operating passenger trains from Oslo to Malmo and Gothenburg Sweden.
2005 Advised FirstGroup Plc in its bid to acquire Cargo Slovakia, a state-owned railfreight company. First was shortlisted but decided not to prepare a final bid.
2004 Led a group of investors who acquired an interest in Ofotbanen, an independent rail operator carrying passengers and freight in Norway and Sweden.
2002 Reviewed rail tourism opportunities for Uzbekistan Railways, under contract to the Asian Development Bank. Rail Tourism in Uzbekistan
1995 Founded GB Railways (GB) in to acquire and develop railway businesses. The company was floated on the London Stock Exchange (AIM) in 1997, and acquired by FirstGroup Plc in 2003. See GBR 2002 Annual Report.
● From 1997 to 2004, GB operated Anglia Railways (turnover £80m), providing 160km/h InterCity services in eastern England. Anglia was top rated by the UK Government with 50% passenger revenue growth, was twice named Train Operator of the Year. See Delivering Better Train Services.
● In 1997, GB led the Great Southern Railway consortium which acquired the Indian Pacific, Ghan and Overland trains in Australia. Threatened with closure under state ownerships, GSR is now a profitable long distance tourist railway.
● GB Railfreight was established in 2000 and is now Britain’s third largest rail freight operator with more than 250 staff and 30 locomotives, serving a range of customers. Named "Rail Business of the Year" in the HSBC Rail Awards 2002.
● GB established Hull Trains in 2001, Britain’s first new train company since privatisation, which now runs seven regular services daily between London and Hull in northeast England.
● GB led the acquisition of Edelaraudtee, a passenger and freight railway in Estonia and the first fully privatised railway in the former Soviet Union.
● GB also bid, unsuccessfully, for Malawi Railways, Zimbabwe Rail Track Company, Melbourne passenger rail trains and trams (Australia), Macchu Picchu Railway (Peru), and WestRail (Western Australia) freight.
1994
Michael Schabas founded WCML DevCo, a joint venture of Babcock & Brown, Booz
Allen Hamilton, and Gibb Consulting, which was retained by Railtrack Plc
to devise ways to define, fund and implement the modernisation of the West
Coast Main Line.
Michael Schabas has been ad hoc advisor and invited speaker to:
● Central European Railway Freight Conference, Budapest, October 2006.
● World Bank Railways Day Investing in Railways: Buyer's Perspectives, Washington, March 2005.
● Competition and Open Access Rail Regulation Conference, London, October 2002.
● TransAfrica Investment Forum, London, May 2001.
● World Bank Railway Roundtable, Vienna, September 1999.
● AMTRAK Reform Council: on options for reforming AMTRAK, 1999.
● Africa
Rail '98 Conference, Johannesburg, September 1998
● Transport Canada: seminar on options for reform of VIA Rail Canada, 1998.
● AUSRail '97, Melbourne, Australia, November 1997.
● Queensland Rail: seminar on structuring of public-private partnerships, 1997.
● Bristol City Council: to review proposed light rail scheme and funding options, 1996.
● British Telecom: for market opportunities relating to British Rail privatisation, 1996.
● AIC Conference "Rail Privatisation: What Next", February 1996.
● Angel Train Contracts: one of the British Rolling Stock Leasing Companies, 1996.
● European Investment Bank: on funding the Jubilee Line Extension, 1992.
PUBLICATIONS
● Paying
for CrossRail Institute for Economic Affairs Journal, March
2005.
● Rail Tourism in Uzebkistan, Asian Development Bank, 2002.
● Break
Up Railtrack, Personal View (Leader) Financial Times, 22 June
2001. Also published as Railtrack: Heart of the Problem? Modern Railways, May 2001 and Rail
Freight Group Newsletter, March 2001.
● On Rail Competition: Taking the Biscuit? Modern Railways, April 2001.
● Competitive
Behaviour in Britain’s Privatised Rail Industry Privatization and Deregulation of Transport,
Oxford University Regulatory Policy Research Centre, Macmillan, 2000.
● Charging
for Roads: A Better Way to Ease Congestion, Centre for Policy
Studies, London, 1995.
Updated June 2008
Founded Britain's first 'open access' passenger train company, operating new high speed trains without subsidy
Founded Britain's third-largest rail freight company, now with more than 250 employees and 30 locomotives
Great
Southern Railway
Conceived the strategy which turned Australia's long-distance passenger
trains from loss to profit. Expanded the network and doubled passenger
revenues