Representatives from UKTram were amongst those who attended this year’s Rail Live event at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre. They were amongst the thousands of delegates from across the rail and transport industries to explore the latest developments shaping the future of transport.
Delegates from UKTram explored a range of innovations on display. This ranged from digital technologies to practical solutions to support the maintenance and operation of rail networks.
There was a panel discussion titled “Comparing light rail schemes across the country. Where are they at, what are the next steps and what can be done to make light rail a more appealing proposition?”. This explored the current position of schemes across the UK and looked ahead to the opportunities and challenges facing the sector.
The session was chaired by Lucy Prior (Business Development Lead – Rail at Octavius) and the panel included UKTram Board Members Sophie Allison (Managing Director at West Midlands Metro) and Nicola Small (Very Light Rail Programme Director at Coventry City Council). Also on the panel were Melanie Corcoran (Executive Director at SYMCA), Colin Rowcliffe (Operations Director Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility UK&I) and Dan Tipper (Chief Infrastructure Officer at Transport for Wales).
During the discussions, the importance of collaboration in advancing projects was noted with panellists speaking about the value of sharing knowledge, embracing innovation and learning from experience as networks continue to evolve.