Head of Rail and Road
Tammy Samuel is a recognised leader in commercial and regulatory transport law, with extensive experience across the heavy and light rail sectors, buses, and broader transport industries in the UK and internationally.
Language - English
Jurisdiction - England & Wales
Tammy previously led Stephenson Harwood’s Global Finance practice and served on the firm’s Global Leadership team for five years. She now acts as the firm’s Client Champion, focusing on delivering exceptional client service and innovative solutions.
Currently, Tammy is instrumental in expanding Stephenson Harwood’s Transport practice in the Middle East, including significant work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Tammy is known for her collaborative approach, working seamlessly alongside clients as an integrated member of their team. She partners with manufacturers, maintainers (across rolling stock and buses), operators, procurers, regulators, and public sector bodies throughout the transport industry.
Her expertise spans the full lifecycle of transport projects, including strategic advice on railway and bus franchises and concessions - covering both bidding and operational phases - procurement (such as manufacturing and maintenance agreements), infrastructure development (including station and depot construction and electrification), electric assets (including battery technology), and regulatory matters, including the creation of new regulatory frameworks.
Tammy has advised bidders in every round of UK rail franchising and concessioning, as well as on bus franchising initiatives. She is frequently involved in high-profile procurements and works closely with commercial litigation teams on related disputes.
The Rail and Road team at Stephenson Harwood is recognised as an industry leader, regularly publishing articles, presenting at seminars, and hosting key industry events.
Franchising and concessions
Tammy is a leading legal advisor on all aspects of rail and bus franchising and concessioning. She has played a key role in every round of UK rail franchise bids, including major projects such as East Coast, West Coast, Northern, Great Western, Southern, ScotRail, CrossCountry, East Anglia, West Midlands, East Midlands, Docklands Light Railway, and London Overground.
Her experience also covers direct award contracts, changes of control, and emergency measures agreements.
In the bus sector, Tammy has advised on significant franchising initiatives, including projects for Manchester and Liverpool.
International operations and maintenance
Internationally, she has supported clients on operations and maintenance agreements in markets such as Abu Dhabi and Dubai, bringing a global perspective to complex transport projects.
Rolling stock procurement
Tammy has significant experience advising on high-profile rolling stock procurement projects, representing both manufacturers and financiers. Her portfolio includes major transactions for Southeastern, Northern, TPE, Wales & Borders, Caledonian Sleeper, Javelin, Thameslink, IEP, DLR, Merseyrail, Southwest Trains, TSGN, Moorgate, West Coast, Great Western, West Midlands, East Midlands, NTFL, JNAT, and PRASA in South Africa. She also advises on procurement challenges and collaborates with commercial litigation teams on rolling stock disputes.
Regulation
Tammy provides strategic regulatory advice across all aspects of rail and bus operations, both in the UK and internationally. Her work includes the design and implementation of regulatory and charging frameworks. Notable projects include advising Transport for London on the regulation of the Crossrail tunnel (Elizabeth Line) and Oman Rail on track access regulation for the GCC Rail Network.
Light rail
She has advised on a range of light rail projects in the UK and abroad, including successful tram procurement bids for Blackpool and Birmingham, as well as bids for Moscow and Croydon trams.
Infrastructure development
Tammy leads teams on the development and financing of transport infrastructure, including stations, depots, networks, and manufacturing and assembly facilities. She also advises on depot upgrades to support electric vehicle charging, particularly for buses.
Operational advice
Tammy supports operators and manufacturers throughout the operational phase of their contracts. Her expertise includes contract interpretation, dispute resolution, supply chain management, and property transactions for clients such as CAF, Northern Rail, Greater Anglia, ScotRail, East Midlands, West Midlands, and Trenitalia c2c.
Competition
Competition law is a critical focus in the rail and bus sectors. Tammy advises clients on UK and EU competition issues working with our specialist teams, including all transport-related aspects of competition filings.
