Business Focus Magazine, issue 133.
Manchester is a city with a strong sense of identity. From proud industrial roots, Northwest England’s largest urban hub has become a vibrant metropolis that celebrates the value of connection and community.
For almost eight years now, KeolisAmey Metrolink (KAM) has been keeping Manchester’s people and communities connected. The city’s famous tram system is the largest light rail network in the UK and shares many values with the place it calls home.
“We are a people-focused organisation and that is very important to us,” begins Managing Director Damien Chabas. “We really care about our employees and customers. We believe we’ve got an active role to play in connecting people and enhancing the communities we serve.”
Putting Community First
A joint venture between Keolis and Amey, KAM works in partnership with Transport for Greater Manchester to manage all Metrolink operations and maintenance. The operator handled a record 45.6 million journeys in 2024, with over 4 million trips taking place in each of May, October, November, and December. Due to the size and standing of the organisation, KAM aims to set the standard for other transport providers.
“The way we operate is shaped by our core values: We Care, We Imagine, We Commit,” Damien reveals. “We really live and breathe those values, and I think that’s what makes us quite special.”
Led by its values, KAM has built a service that is safe, reliable, and efficient. These qualities earned the organisation Operator of the Year in 2024 at the Global Light Rail Awards. The company now moves towards the summer of 2025 with a growing customer base and continuously increasing network usage from both the commuter and leisure market.
In order to keep such a large proportion of Manchester moving, KAM employs close to 1,000 team members across its network. The organisation has become a proud part of the city it serves, and understands that a reciprocal relationship with its staff is the best way for both the company and its people to thrive.
In an attempt to assemble and develop an excellent workforce, KAM is building an inclusive, engaging work environment with clear career pathways and growth opportunities. Apprenticeship programs have become a key factor in the operator’s recruitment efforts, and KAM has also recently reassessed its people strategies with an eye on enticing the next generation of talent.
“We’ve changed the structure of our people team lately, and we are exploring new ways to attract talent,” Damien reports. “Grassroots recruitment is a focus because we also want to create better opportunities for local people in Manchester.”
Better Opportunities
To help target young people looking for work, KAM has launched an Instagram page (@lifeatkam) providing an inside look at the lives of its team members. Equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace are a major focal point too, as well as long-term development plans directed towards the ambitions and goals of individual employees. In short, the new talent and recruitment package is a reflection of KAM’s larger emphasis on people.
“We have assembled a diverse team here, all with different backgrounds, experiences, and mindsets,” Damien notes. “This is especially true at senior management level.
“We want to represent the community we serve, which means we need a good mix of people. More than that though, the makeup of the team has made us better at providing solutions because we all approach problems differently.”
Alongside people, KAM relies on a fleet of 147 trams maintained by the company’s in-house engineering team. The network that these trams cover is over 100km long and contains 99 tram stops. Operating and maintaining such an extensive system can be a challenge, especially with external pressures, such as increased supply chain tension. KAM, however, has long proved it is up to the task.
“We need to keep maintaining and investing in our assets so that we can deliver a good and reliable service,” Damien states. “There are cost pressures and supply chain challenges, but we have established trust in our working relationships, allowing us to collaborate closely with our clients, partners, and Transport for Greater Manchester. Consequently, we can accelerate asset renewals and deliver results.”
Brilliant Basics
On the supply chain front, innovation and imagination have been instrumental in the organisation’s ability to adapt to change. For instance, when major suppliers have not been able to fulfil demand, KAM has turned to reverse engineering some of its own parts.
“The reverse engineering process has been very important to us,” Damien confirms. “We have put significant resources into developing parts ourselves, using the market in Greater Manchester, so it’s been great for the local economy. It’s a strategy that has helped us overcome market challenges, while ensuring we can continue operating the city’s network effectively.”
In speaking to Damien, it is clear that, for KAM, everything comes back to community. The company finds strength in the strong ties it creates – not just with its workforce and customers, but also with a wide range of partner organisations. One such partner is Transport for Greater Manchester, with which KAM holds a contract until 2027.
As KAM heads towards 2027 and beyond, the company aims to continue delivering the “brilliant basics” of safe, reliable, and efficient public transport, while innovating to meet changing customer needs.
“We will always listen to our customers and remain forward-thinking in how we plan for the future,” Damien says in summary. “Our shareholders, Keolis and Amey, are leading providers of engineering, operations and decarbonisation solutions across the world so we constantly look to implement some of those learnings here too.
“Ultimately, as the largest network of this kind in the UK, we want to contribute to the development of light rail services in this country,” he concludes. “We value our strong relationship with Transport for Greater Manchester, and we will continue to work with them to deliver a safe and reliable service to support sustainable growth in Greater Manchester.”