
Matthew Knight
Senior Consultant
Matthew is a rail specialist with over 20 years’ experience across the transport sector. His operational planning skills enable him to forensically analyse and dissect an organisation, recommending strategic changes to improve both profitability and productivity. Matthew’s expertise includes contract management, timetable modelling, rolling stock and workforce planning. His career has developed from frontline operational roles to managerial positions, responsible for leading teams and the successful delivery of high-profile projects, including for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.
Since joining North Star, Matthew has deployed his strong analytical skills on a diverse range of assignments in the UK and overseas across government and private operators. In the UK, he has been engaged as a Contracts Workstream Lead at the Department for Transport’s Operator of Last Resort. Matthew conducted a review of roster processes and resourcing for Southeastern stations, identifying efficiencies and potential headcount savings and at Trenitalia c2c completed a review of driver rosters and T&Cs that resulted in a 15% efficiency saving. Overseas, Matthew has conducted an efficiency analysis of Serco’s Doha Metro and Lusail Tram bid submission and created an operational model to evaluate the cost estimation of an operations and maintenance (O&M) tender in Tel Aviv and an extension to Gold Coast light rail network in Australia. As Operational Planning Lead for a light rail extension O&M bid in Jerusalem and Run Time Modelling Lead for a new light rail operation in Edmonton, Matthew developed and tested conflict-free timetables and rolling stock requirements, in Jerusalem accompanied by workforce plans and rosters. Matthew is a licensed, qualified practitioner of Tracsis software, TrainTRACS and TRACSRoster, together with Oracle Primavera P6 planning software.
Prior to North Star, Matthew worked for Heathrow Airport, where he was accountable for the planning of workforce requirements to deliver maintenance activities across Heathrow, whilst improving efficiency and productivity. Matthew spent five years working for Heathrow Express, where he successfully delivered multiple timetable and roster changes, and four years at Eurostar as a Roster Manager for both station and traincrew rosters.