Howard Smith
Biography
Howard Smith joined HS2 Ltd as Interim Chief Operations Officer in November 2026.
Howard is an experienced railway leader with 40 years in the industry. He spent 25 years at Transport for London, where he was Director of the Elizabeth line until 2025. He oversaw the line’s transition into operation and its integration with the wider rail network.
More recently, Howard has worked with HS2 as an independent expert on railway operations, supporting preparations for the future railway.
Howard leads HS2’s Operations and Maintenance team and sits on the executive team, representing the needs of the future operator. He works closely with Network Rail and West Coast Partnership Development to ensure that programme delivery and rail systems design support future passengers and HS2’s integration into the national railway network.