Network Rail owns most of the UK's rail track
Network Rail has announced that Mark Carne, a former oil executive, will be its new chief executive.
Mr Carne, who used to work at Royal Dutch Shell, will receive a basic annual salary of £675,000, which is £100,000 more than his predecessor.
He will join the rail network manager next year, formally taking over from Sir David Higgins in April.
State-backed Network Rail is the owner of most of the UK's track and many of its biggest stations.
The BBC's transport correspondent Richard Westcott said Sir David will be missed by many, including the trade unions, who credit him with improving both the "notoriously defensive" culture at Network Rail and industrial relations.
Mark Carne was previously executive vice-president of Shell in the Middle East and North Africa.
Network Rail said his salary was determined following an "exhaustive and independent process", involving comparing salaries of chief executives in the public and private sectors.
Although his base salary is higher than Sir David's, the company said his overall remuneration package, including bonuses, would not be greater.
Source: BBC News - Business http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23974267#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa
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