As you will no doubt have noted from various articles on these pages, UKTram are all about collaboration between different tram operators across the county with several different committees and groups convening to share best practice. They have now relaunched the Operational Innovation Group, which is planned to be a dedicated forum for the light rail sector to explore new ideas, share operational experience, and identify practical opportunities for innovation.
During the first meeting, UKTram Stakeholder and Innovation Manager, Tim Bilby, told attendees that the group will focus on sharing best practices and encouraging open discussion of both successful initiatives and lessons learned.
Procurement emerged as a theme during that first meeting, with members discussing challenges in navigating public sector procurement processes and opportunities to better understand available flexibility within existing frameworks.
Following the meeting Tim Bilby said: “It was encouraging to see such a positive response to the first meeting. There was a clear willingness to share ideas and discuss the challenges that many systems are facing. We’ve already identified some potential areas for future sessions and we’re looking forward to developing the group into a forum where members can learn from one another and explore ways of moving the sector forward.”
They will now meet quarterly.