Resilience at the crossroads: Strategic resilience in UK rail — responding to disruption, shaping the future
Abstract
The UK rail sector is undergoing structural, cultural and operational change, creating both opportunities and challenges for resilience. This paper examines how London North Eastern Railway (LNER) has adapted its business continuity and emergency planning practices in response to prolonged industrial action, climate-related disruption and sector-wide reform under the transition to Great British Railways. Drawing on practical examples, including the contingency planning model developed during 2022–24 strike activity and lessons learned from Storm Babet, it explores how structured planning cycles, scenario-based exercising and knowledge retention can improve organisational readiness. The paper situates LNER’s experience within the wider UK rail context, highlighting persistent systemic barriers to resilience maturity such as fragmented governance, inconsistent adoption of the Gold–Silver–Bronze command model, and limited integration of cross-sector frameworks such as the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Principles. Comparative analysis with North American approaches, including the Incident Command System and publicly accessible training platforms, illustrates the potential benefits of more formalised, scalable incident management models. Three priorities are proposed for embedding resilience into the future rail system: integrating dormant and systemic risks into exercising programmes, maintaining continuity and institutional knowledge during structural transition, and adopting shared, capability-based assessment frameworks. By linking operational case studies with broader governance considerations, the paper offers both practitioners and policy makers insights into how UK rail operators can strengthen resilience as a strategic capability, ensuring preparedness for complex, high-impact disruptions in an era of organisational change. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
ABCP is Business Resilience Manager at London North Eastern Railway (LNER), leading emergency planning, business continuity and incident readiness across the East Coast Main Line. He has over 15 years’ experience in resilience roles across the UK and Canada, spanning rail, critical infrastructure, utilities and public-sector agencies. His career includes senior posts with the Toronto Transit Commission, Toronto Water and Deloitte’s Risk Advisory practice. A former Intelligence Operator in the British Army’s Intelligence Corps (2007–15), Gary supported operations in high-risk environments alongside UK, US and NATO partners, developing expertise in threat assessment, operational planning and multi-agency coordination. An accredited business continuity professional, Gary holds a BA (Hons) in security and risk management from the University of Leicester, plus specialist qualifications in emergency management, fire safety and incident command. He has delivered ISO 22301 and CSA Z1600-aligned programmes, led major incident reviews and run high-impact exercises for executives, control teams and multi-agency partners. A regular conference speaker, Gary has been invited to present at DRI International, DRI Canada, Rail Safety and Standards Board and BCI World, and has been shortlisted for multiple CIR Business Continuity Awards in 2025. He works closely with Network Rail, Department for Transport, British Transport Police and local resilience forums, and also serves as Co-Chair of LNER’s Armed Forces Network and as an elected independent town councillor in Corby, Northamptonshire.
Citation
Campbell, Gary (2026, February 15). Resilience at the crossroads: Strategic resilience in UK rail — responding to disruption, shaping the future. In the Journal of Business Continuity & Emergency Planning, Volume 19, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.69554/ASJX7498.
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