Aberdeen-based Paddington rail station boss who earns £300,000 claims £10,000 a year on expenses to FLY to different UK stations rather than take the train

The Scotland-based boss of Paddington train station in London who earns £300,000 a year flies hundreds of miles to other UK stations rather than take the train, a report has claimed.

Michelle Handforth, who lives in Aberdeen, claimed almost £10,000 in the last financial year for 72 flights to stations across the country.

Ms Handforth, 60, who works for National Rail, is also in charge of other sites in Reading, Bristol and across Wales.

She used to work as the chief of Aberdeen Harbour Board before she was hired as Network Rail‘s managing director in July 2021.

Her contracts says she is permitted to work from home and that travel and accommodation expenses are paid for by her employer ‘where required’, The Sun reports.

Network Rail chief Michelle Handforth (pictured), who lives in Aberdeen, claimed almost £10,000 in the last financial year for 72 flights to stations across the country

Ms Handforth is the boss of train stations across the UK including Paddington in London 

Network Rail offered Ms Handforth the deal as they say they need to be ‘innovative and flexible’ to be able to hire the best people.

But their latest annual report, which was recently published, the quango owned up to missing targets for passenger satisfaction in their boss’ area, with poor scores given due to failures in overcrowding, cleanliness and the station environment.

Flights she took last year include two £536 return trips from Aberdeen to Bristol via airline Loganair.

Network Rail spent a total of £188,006 on domestic flights last year and £315,026 flying internationally, according to The Sun.

Jonathan Gullis, Tory MP for Stoke-on-Trent North, slammed Network Rail saying it was an ’embarassing state of affairs’ that rail bosses have to fly to visit their own stations.

He also criticised Ms Handforth’s ‘extortionate salary’ considering that trains are frequently late and poor value for money.

Tory MP Jonathan Gullis criticised Ms Handforth’s ‘extortionate salary’ considering that trains are frequently late and poor value for money (commuters pictured at Paddington)