Delegates from across the rail industry gathered at the twelfth ‘Supporting the Rail Supply Chain’ event, held at the RaisE Business Centre in Goole Rail Village, East Yorkshire. The event, themed “Making Our Railways Better,” focused on a range of key topics, including collaboration, transformation, change management, skill development, artificial intelligence (AI), rolling stock procurement, and export opportunities.
The event brought together a wide range of businesses involved in the rail supply chain, as well as those seeking to enter the industry. Alan Mason, Head of Innovation for the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), praised the event’s networking opportunities, stating, “Each Supporting the Rail Supply Chain event offers the chance to engage with innovative companies and solutions that can enhance transport and mobility.”
In addition to networking, participants had the opportunity to deliver elevator pitches during a “Show, Tell and Ask” session, fostering further collaboration. Abi Broadley, Rail Engagement Consultant and event organizer on behalf of the University of Birmingham’s Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE), emphasized the event’s value in accelerating growth in the rail and mobility sectors. “We always aim for meaningful engagement that leads to impactful conversations and business growth,” she said.
The event also featured contributions from various industry leaders. Amanda Hoggart, Business Centres Manager for East Riding of Yorkshire Council, highlighted success stories from the Invest East Yorkshire team, while Stephen Silvester, Inward and Infrastructure Manager, discussed upcoming investment opportunities in the region, including developments in Goole and the new Freeport Site.
AI’s potential impact on rail productivity was explored by Giles Peacock from Weston Analytics. Meanwhile, Lesley Cheeseman, Organisational Development Lead at the Transpennine Route Upgrade, led an engaging session on collaboration through an interactive game, demonstrating the importance of teamwork in delivering successful projects.
Other notable presentations included Robert Hopkin of BCRRE, who spoke on the role of education and exporting in the rail industry, highlighting the opportunity for collaboration between UK and German companies. Martin Ould of Siemens Mobility also provided an update on the UK Rolling Stock procurement process and future plans for train manufacturing in Goole.
Laura Smith from Network Rail discussed change management initiatives, including the roll-out of electric vehicle charging and opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to collaborate with Network Rail.
The event concluded with short presentations from Rail Forum, RIA North, and RBD, who shared updates on their support for the UK rail supply chain. Robert Hopkin, co-host of the event, expressed enthusiasm for the continued collaboration within the industry, looking ahead to the next event in December.
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