Although I knew that John was ill, it still came as a great shock when I heard the news of his passing. We were colleagues at RSSB, and as John’s line manager I relied heavily on his wisdom which was alway delivered with a dollop of good humour. John was passionate about the role of assurance in the rail industry to deliver a safer railway and he was the main architect of the RISAS scheme. It was a source of regret to him that its uptake was limited because he could see how it could benefit industry.

I spent a very enjoyable weekend with John and Graham Nicholas chasing steam trains in the Harz mountains in Germany in 2018 and was entertained by his stories – he was a great raconteur.

My deepest condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time. John, you will be sorely missed. RIP.