10.10.14
Another successful Dinner at the Roundhouse
Hundreds of people from all over the rail industry converged on Derby last night for the annual Dinner at the Roundhouse event.
The speakers were Richard Brown, formerly Eurostar chair and now a board member at the Department for Transport and HS2, and Andrew Wolstenholme, chief executive of Crossrail.
Wolstenholme told the 650 guests in his keynote speech that he was “personally delighted” that the trains for Crossrail are to be built by Derby-based Bombardier, and gave a wider update on the project.
Brown’s speech ranged widely, covering recent railway successes, Derby’s heritage and CP5 investment. He also gave a very strong defence of the franchising system and said: “A 3% average profit margin is reasonable.”
The black-tie Dinner at the Roundhouse event, for which RTM acts as media partner, celebrates the best of the industry in Derby and around the UK, and is a great chance to network. It was hosted last night by actor Brian Blessed.
The event is in support of the Railway Children charity, a representative from which also spoke last night, explaining more about the organisation’s vital work with the street children of India.
There will be photos from Dinner at the Roundhouse and full coverage in the next edition of Rail Technology Magazine.