For a company operating at the scale of ABM, expansion into new markets is nothing new. One of the world’s largest providers of facilities, engineering, and infrastructure services, the US-backed giant is now turning its attention to UK rail. Employing over 100,000 people across the globe, a key focus is on the transport sector.
With a strong reputation in aviation, ABM works across 75 airports worldwide, delivering services spanning facilities solutions, ground handling, travel retail services and accessible travel assistance. While it is no stranger to the British rail industry – with TfL and Eurostar as headline sector customers – ABM is serious about expansion. The company is focussed on leveraging new opportunities as passenger expectations rise and the industry is reformed under Great British Railways (GBR).
As part of this strategy, ABM has recently appointed two highly experienced industry figures to drive its ambitions. Kelly Parish and David Miles bring decades of expertise, and their arrival will shape the company’s position as a major player in Britain’s evolving rail landscape.
“Harnessing our combined rail experience to build a powerhouse presence in the industry with ABM is a career-defining opportunity,” explains Kelly, Vice President, Transport and Aviation at ABM UK&I, who leads the ABM transport strategy. “This was a clear strategic decision by the business. Rail is growing, passenger numbers are increasing, and there’s a real opportunity to bring some of the expertise ABM has in aviation into the rail environment.”
Experienced leaders
Both Kelly and David bring deep specialist knowledge to ABM. Kelly has spent more than 16 years across facilities management, transforming operations for Network Rail, train operating companies, and the aviation sector. David began his career in depot cleaning before progressing through leadership roles spanning managed stations, security, and facilities services.
Together, the pair see a major opportunity to apply lessons learned from aviation to improve rail operations and the passenger experience.
“One thing aviation and ABM in particular does exceptionally well is passenger experience,” says David. “Rail is moving in that direction. Stations are increasingly becoming destinations and meeting places, not simply somewhere people pass through.”
The pair also believe that passenger expectations have shifted significantly in recent years, with travellers now expecting transport hubs to provide cleaner, safer, accessible environments which offer a warmer welcome.
“Passengers remember every touchpoint of a journey,” Kelly says. “Whether it’s cleanliness, accessibility, security, or how they’re supported during travel, all of that shapes the overall experience.”
Improving accessibility
One area where aviation can offer invaluable lessons is in accessibility and assisted travel. ABM recently took on a major passenger assistance contract at Heathrow Airport, transferring more than 1,600 employees into the business and becoming the UK’s largest accessible airport travel provider. Kelly believes the expertise developed in airports can help support rail operators as accessibility becomes a critically important issue across the network.
“There’s a substantial opportunity to improve assisted travel in rail,” she says. “We have developed industry leading expertise in aviation around accessible travel services, training, and customer support, and we believe that translates extremely well into rail.”
David, meanwhile, stresses that improving accessibility is about more than compliance – it is about encouraging more people to travel confidently by rail.
“If we can create a better experience for passengers who need additional support, that benefits everybody,” he explained. “It makes rail more inclusive, more attractive, and ultimately encourages greater use of public transport.”
Technology plays a major role in this strategy, with ABM investing heavily in digital tools and operational technology designed to improve the overall passenger experience.
Among the innovations currently being explored is a customer-facing platform designed to improve communication with passengers requiring assistance. The system would allow travellers to share journey details in advance and connect directly with support teams during travel.
ABM is also using technology to transform operational approaches. ABM Connect takes operational transparency to a new level, linking frontline teams directly to clients and managers through real-time data: tracking task completion, flagging deficiencies as they happen, and feeding actionable insights into a single dashboard. Its demand-led approach ensures teams are in the right place at the right time, matching resource to need as it arises. In a sector where reliability is everything, that kind of visibility and responsiveness matters.
“It’s about creating efficiencies without compromising service,” says Kelly. “Passenger numbers are increasing year-on-year, so we have to find smarter ways of working while continuing to improve standards.”
Sustainable values
Sustainability is another challenge facing the industry and both Kelly and David believe facilities management companies have a major role to play in helping rail to reduce its environmental impact. This is not exclusively through headline initiatives such as electric vehicles, but also through the everyday operational decisions that shape large transport environments.
“We focus heavily on the detail,” explains David. “It’s not just about the big sustainability headlines. It’s about everything from chemical-free cleaning products and recycled materials through to reducing waste and limiting what goes back into the watercourse.”
ABM is adopting more sustainable cleaning technologies, reducing transportation and packaging through local production, and reviewing procurement to ensure suppliers meet its ESG goals.
“There’s a real responsibility on businesses like ours to make sure the products and partners we work with share those same sustainability ambitions,” Kelly says.
Alongside this, ABM prioritises social value by partnering with schools, charities, and community groups to promote sector careers and support underrepresented groups, aligning with the growing emphasis on social value in rail procurement.
“Social value used to be almost an afterthought in tenders,” says Kelly. “Now it can account for 10, 15, even 20% of the evaluation process. Quite rightly, the industry wants to see businesses making a positive impact beyond the services they deliver.”
For ABM, sustainability and social value are not simply about meeting targets, but about building long-term partnerships that support cleaner, safer, and more inclusive transport networks for passengers and communities alike.
A new generation
On the topic of social value, ABM understands the importance of attracting and retaining outstanding talent and creating opportunities for those seeking work. Both Kelly and David are passionate about demonstrating that careers in facilities management and transport operations offer genuine progression.
“It’s important that people can see a pathway,” says David. “I started out as a cleaning operative and worked my way through the industry. We need to show people that these are real careers with opportunities to develop.”
ABM is investing in apprenticeships, training, and community engagement initiatives designed to encourage younger people into the industry, while also introducing more technology-led roles that appeal to a new generation of workers.
“It’s no longer just about standard mop and buckets,” Kelly says. “Today’s rail facilities management environment is being shaped by technology, robotics, and AI, helping operators deliver smarter, more efficient, and more resilient spaces.”
Looking ahead
With rail reform continuing and passenger expectations evolving, ABM believes the timing is right to establish a stronger foothold in the UK rail industry.
Both Kelly and David see the future creation of GBR as a major opportunity for the business to position itself as a long-term strategic partner capable of delivering integrated support services across the network.
“We want to be seen as a key player in the market,” says Kelly. “We genuinely believe we can bring something different to rail.”
For ABM, expansion into rail represents more than simple growth. It is a chance to reshape how support services contribute to the passenger experience – combining operational expertise, technology, accessibility, and passenger experience to help create a more welcoming and efficient railway for the future.
Image credits: ABM UK
