Dick Fearn Heads Iarnrod Eireann
24 May 2005
Iarnrod Eireann’s chief operating officer, Dick Fearn, has been promoted to acting managing director of IE following the departure of Joe Meagher to run Dublin Bus.
Dick joined IE two years ago and has enjoyed the enviable position of presiding over a glut of railway investment. The Irish rail system is being completely overhauled and resignalled. New rolling stock fleets will see greater frequency and the introduction of an InterCity style service across Ireland.
Fearn is regarded as one of the best operators in rail. Starting as a BR management trainee, he rose through the ranks and became divisional director of Thames and Chiltern division. In the run up to privatisation Dick headed the South Eastern shadow franchise and staged an MBO.
Connex took the franchise and two years later Fearn joined Railtrack and headed the Midland Zone before moving to Iarnrod Eireann in 2003. Thoroughly at home in Ireland, Dick lives in Killinie south of Dublin and commutes to work every day on the DART.