Rail Industry Focus

Looking to the future at Victorian Paddington

21.04.16: Natalie Holden, senior commercial scheme sponsor for the Paddington project at Network Rail, talks to RTM’s Luana Salles about the ongoing work to replace the station’s intricate glass roof, upgrade its retail hub, and of the changes...

On the cusp of change

19.04.16: Speaking at Infrarail, rail training leaders outline the industry’s reliance on the supply chain to ensure it hits training targets, as well as the need to open up courses, transfer skills and offset levy costs. Luana Salles reports. ...

Thameslink benefits already on the horizon

19.04.16: Nick Gray, principal programme sponsor for Thameslink, reveals the latest statistics and changes taking place in and around London Bridge ahead of project completion in 2018. In the last edition of RTM, rail systems project director on the...

Delivering high-quality training for the next generation

18.04.16: Andrew Spencer, director of commercial services at The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), discusses the recent acquisition of Amber Train and the plans for its future. Delivering high-quality training for the next generation of r...

Crossrail: moving towards operations

15.04.16: Howard Smith, Crossrail operations director at TfL, runs through the project’s latest updates and highlights the ongoing shift from construction to operation. With tracks already laid and station refurbs gathering pace, the time has c...

Infrastructure planning: Moving away from stop-start investment

12.04.16: Devolution of Network Rail’s routes should not be seen as the panacea for solving every problem the industry comes up against, according to Jo Kaye, director of network strategy and capacity planning at Network Rail.  Following t...

Changing the conservative approach to rail innovation

11.04.16: As the UK rail industry starts its journey towards enabling the Digital Railway, supply chain leaders discuss the need for a change of approach to unlocking innovation. David Stevenson reports. Accelerating the uptake of innovation in the r...

‘Euston, we have a problem’

08.04.16: The CEO of the soon-to-open National College for High Speed Rail, John Evans, discusses the problems currently facing rail engineering recruitment in the UK and the need to drive forward the diversity agenda in the future. The rail industry...

Getting an aerial view

06.04.16: Edd Fowler from the Rail Infrastructure Network Model (RINM) team at Network Rail discusses the roll-out of the company’s aerial survey data, and the benefits it will deliver. Back in 2014, Network Rail conducted and completed an aeri...

Ticket machines: A question of trust

04.04.16: In a world where passengers increasingly want to do things virtually, David Sidebottom, passenger director at Transport Focus, asks why so many make an exception when buying train tickets. Proposed changes to the way in which passengers buy...

Ordsall Chord delivery needs certainty as work starts to progress

16.03.16: Martyn Angus, LNW route senior programme sponsor at Network Rail, talks to RTM about how work is progressing on the Ordsall Chord. Delivering the much-delayed £85m Ordsall Chord by December 2017 is achievable but certainty over the pr...

Deterring cable theft through DNA

14.03.16: James Brown, managing director at Selectamark Security Systems plc, discusses the successful work of the rail industry in reducing cable thefts. The use of DNA markers and warning signs saying it is in use have been key factors in ensuring...

Japanese knotweed an ‘unknown’ quantity for rail

09.03.16: Will Sillar, founder and managing director of National Knotweed Survey, talks to RTM about the impact Japanese knotweed could have on rail assets in the UK. Japanese knotweed is a highly invasive, non-native plant found in the UK, which is...

A series of firsts for the Victoria line

07.03.16: David Waboso, capital programmes director at London Underground, reminisces about the 13 years’ worth of works that made Victoria Line one of the most reliable in the capital, and previews what its future could look like. Luana Salles repo...

Our holy grail is to provide a pantograph that reacts to the environment

04.03.16: Lee Brun, development and WPS manager at Brecknell Willis, a Wabtec Company, updates RTM on the work to deliver an active pantograph. Last year, RTM reported on the demonstration of a new monitoring system which has been developed to delive...