The latest meeting of UKTram’s Light Rail Engineering Group (LREG) took place on 12th and 13th February 2026 in Cardiff. This session brought together sector engineers and supply chain representatives to share updates and explore learning across light rail systems.
The meeting was first LREG event to be held in Cardiff since Transport for Wales became members of UKTram, and saw 28 delegates attending in person and 13 joining online.
Transport for Wales led the session and delivered a presentation which provided useful and engaging context on current and future activity in South Wales. This included details of TfW’s light rail ambitions, and a virtual tour of the Cardiff Crossrail Phase 1A project.
There were also updates on the UKTram supported overhead line equipment training course which now has dates set and early enquiries received. This three-day course will be delivered in partnership with an NSAR-accredited training provider, combining theoretical learning with practical, hands-on training, and giving a clear understanding of UK light rail OLE systems and the requirements for working safely around them.
There were safety updates, which included discussion of a LRSSB report covering several tram accidents in Europe, reinforcing the importance of continued information sharing and learning.
The second day of the event was turned over to a Best Practice Day which looked at embedded track renewals and how they can be delivered more efficiently. Presentations came from VolkerRail (on the next steps in embedded track renewals) and Civil Water Management (on a novel modular drainage product). These generated constructive discussion between engineers and supply chain members.
Phill Terry, UKTram Lead Engineer, said: “It was encouraging to see strong engagement across both days, with engineers and the supply chain having open and constructive discussions on shared challenges. While supply chain pressures and reliability issues remain, the appetite for collaboration, learning and skills development across the sector continues to be very clear.”
Follow-up actions from the meeting will include monitoring attendance and outcomes from the forthcoming light rail OLE training course and continued updates from LRSSB on safety incidents and learning from across Europe to support deeper technical discussion.