David Rollin CEng FIET, August 1944 – January 2021
Published: Thu 4 Mar 2021
David Rollin CEng FIET passed away on 21 January 2021, aged 76, of complications from COVID-19.
Chartered Engineer David Rollin was a well-known senior executive in the UK and international rail industry, where he worked for more than 50 years.
He was a longstanding member of the IET since his student days at University in the 1960s, becoming a Fellow of the IET in 1985. David was also a longstanding Fellow of the IMechE and a EurIng (European Engineer).
His railway career began in 1960, with an engineering apprenticeship at Horwich Works.
As a British Rail (BR) sponsored student, David subsequently completed a BSc in Electrical Engineering at Salford University, graduating in 1968.
David joined British Rail Engineering Limited (BREL) in 1969 as a Project Engineer at Doncaster Works, becoming a Chartered Engineer in 1971.
From 1971 to 1974 David worked as a Commercial Manager at the BREL HQ, prior to becoming Production/Project Manager for the Advanced Passenger Train (APT) tilting-train project in 1974, based at Derby Works.
Subsequently, he relocated back to Doncaster in 1979, undertaking roles in development/productivity engineering and production management, prior to returning to BREL HQ in Derby as New Products Manager in 1982.
In 1985, David was appointed Project Director for the InterCity 225 high-speed train project (for which he won the Sir Henry Royce Foundation Memorial Award for technical excellence for InterCity), subsequently becoming Director of Projects at InterCity in 1991, based at the InterCity HQ in London.
In 1994, during UK rail privatisation, David instigated a management buyout (MBO) of the Fleet Engineering function of InterCity in Derby, completing the MBO in March 1996.
The company became Interfleet Technology, a multi-disciplinary railway consultancy specialising in engineering, technology and strategic business advisory services.
Starting with 100 staff at a single office location in Derby, Interfleet subsequently expanded internationally across 9 countries, employing some 600 people around the world, prior to being sold to SNC-Lavalin in October 2011.
David subsequently retired from the rail industry in 2013.