Maria Cliff

Head of Operations and Business Development - MTR UK

Maria joined MTR UK in November 2021 and provides strategic oversight to their rail operating businesses (MTR Elizabeth Line and South Western Railway) along with identifying and developing future opportunities in Operations and Maintenance.

Maria previously held the role of Head of Operations at East West Railway Company, leading their Shadow Operator activities on behalf of the Department for Transport. She oversaw the procurement of East West Rail’s interim rolling stock, created the initial specification for the operation of the railway and was responsible for developing the end-to-end timetable for the route.

Maria started her railway career as a First Group graduate in 2012 and has held varied roles since, including Station and On-Train Management and Driver Depot Manager at Oxford for Great Western Railway. In 2018 she was responsible for the GWR/Heathrow Express portfolio and initiated the mobilisation of the Class 387 ETCS and 769 FLEX projects.