Welcome to the February 2025 issue of our e-newsletter where you can read about industry events and publications as well as activities that the Rail Cluster project is leading or supporting.

Rail Cluster project in numbers

• 707 registered individuals
• 501 registered companies
• 307 registered SMEs

In his monthly column for The Herald Scotland, Scottish Engineering’s Chief Executive Paul Sheerin highlights the success of Kilmarnock-based Rail Cluster member Brodie Engineering Ltd.

Providing local people with long term career prospects and retaining and building the much-needed skillsets in a sector where there are skills challenges is at the core of Brodie Engineering’s people strategy. A healthy and local supply chain is fundamental for a reliable and efficient railway and Brodie Engineering is in a strong position to support future opportunities across Scotland and the rest of the UK.

Are you interested in presenting your innovative solutions to an international audience of operators, OEMs, suppliers, engineering companies, start-ups, associations and the research community?
 
Why not take advantage of the ERCI webinar series? Since the COVID19 pandemic, the European Railway Clusters Initiative (ERCI) has been organising webinars once or twice a month, in which companies and scientific institutions present their innovative solutions for the European railway system of the future in a 20-minute presentation. As a rule, two speakers from different countries shed light on the respective webinar topic from their perspective.
 
To give you an idea: The main categories of topics of previous ERCI webinars were: Advanced Technologies (e.g.: AI, Cybersecurity, Big Data, IoT, Blockchain, Photonics ...), Multimodal & Logistics, Research & Development, Internationalisation. You can also take a look at previous ERCI webinars here.
 
The ERCI webinars usually take place preferably on a Wednesday morning from 09:00 to 10:30 GMT. The event language is English. If you are willing to participate, we would be delighted to hear about your topic, speaker and preferred dates.
 
Stay up to date, present your innovative solutions, enhance your visibility on an international level and meet new interesting contacts.
 
Please do not hesitate to contact us for questions or to express interest: shonaclive@scottishengineering.org.uk

Leading multi-disciplinary professional services consulting firm WSP, in partnership with Mott MacDonald (collaboratively MWJV), has been appointed as Principal Designer for the East West Rail project.

Plans for East West Rail (EWR)—which will connect Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford, and Cambridge—are progressing after the Government committed to delivering the railway in full in the Autumn Budget.

MWJV’s appointment as Principal Designer underlines EWR Co’s commitment to safety, collaboration, and excellence in project delivery and will help drive forward the next scheme development phase of the programme to build a new railway between Oxford and Cambridge.

As Principle Designer, MWJV will lead key responsibilities including planning, managing and monitoring pre-construction activities to ensure the highest safety and efficiency standards during design and survey phases.

Space technologies, such as satellite navigation, satellite communication and Earth observation, can help the railway sector in many ways.

ESA open call “Space4Rail Downstream Applications in ARTES 4.0” aims to support the exploitation of space-based assets (satellite navigation, satellite communications and/or Earth observation) in innovative and sustainable applications/services:

1. Related to future control, command and signalling applications of the European Rail system;

2. Improving the performance and attractiveness of the railway, both for railway undertakings and end users.

Feasibility studies and demonstration projects are invited.

The Government has unveiled plans for a landmark bill to rewire Britain’s railways, including setting up a “powerful passenger watchdog” that will “give passengers a voice and hold train operators to account.”

The Government called the bill a “once in a generation overhaul”, stating that it would establish Great British Railways (GBR), a new body bringing track and train together, delivering reliable services for passengers and catalysing growth across the country.

It added that the plans (which were outlined in a consultation launched this week) would “smash a broken rail system, put passengers at the forefront of all decisions made on the railways, ending major failure and disruptions like the 2018 timetabling crisis.”

Last month we shared an update to public procurement based on the Procurement Act 2023. Network Rail have now published details on changes they will be making to their commercial and procurement activity, including:

Notices:

• visibility of commercial pipelines via the government’s Find a Tender Service (FTS). As well as on Network Rail’s website
• a specific preliminary market engagement notice. This will inform the supply chain of engagement scheduled to happen. As well as engagement carried out to date.

• a reduction of procedures to: direct award, open framework, or competitive flexible procedure
• more flexible commercial frameworks (e.g. an open framework). These can be opened during its life span
• competitive flexible procedure. Network Rail can design its own procurement process to best fit the nature of what is being procured. And the marketplace in which is it being bought.

• central digital platform for suppliers to register and store their details. This is so they can be used for multiple bids, and see all opportunities in one place
• in order to work with Network Rail, suppliers will need to ensure they are registered. They can do this on this system before submitting tenders.

• a register of tools to show which frameworks and dynamic markets are available. This is so suppliers can identify opportunities. And research the options for bidding on these in the future
• suppliers can apply to join the Dynamic Market any time. And the buyer can use the register to run quick competitions.

The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has developed a standardised set of climate change scenarios for the rail industry, to enable a consistent approach to climate change risk, vulnerability assessments, project and asset designs and strategic planning activities. 

Climate projections estimate how future climate conditions could change over time, including temperature, rainfall, and sea levels. They are based on different scenarios of greenhouse gas emissions, using climate models to predict potential outcomes under different assumptions about human activities.

The projections set out:

• How hot summer temperatures might be.
• The frequency of intense storms or heavy rainfall.
• How quickly sea levels might rise along coastal tracks.

The Cabinet Secretary for Transport has announced the appointment of a new Chair to the Board of Scottish Rail Holdings Limited, the Scottish Government company that owns ScotRail and Caledonian Sleeper.

Professor Iain Docherty has accepted an offer for the post of Chair and took up his appointment on 4 February 2025.

Iain is a senior academic manager and researcher and an experienced Non-Executive Director in the transport sector. He holds academic positions as Dean of the Institute for Advanced Studies and Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Stirling, and Fellowships of the Academy of Social Sciences, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Royal Geographical Society, and the Institution of Civil Engineers.

The Railway Industry Association (RIA) has announced the launch of a new rail training service facility to support the industry in developing and refining skills and knowledge across the sector.

Training services encompass three courses: Introduction to UK Rail; Accelerating Success – ESG-Driven Growth Strategies for Rail; and Work Winning in Rail Masterclass. The courses will be delivered by RIA's railway specialists who have significant industry experience and expertise, with the aim of creating more in the future.

Courses are designed to give attendees in-depth knowledge and real actionable insights they can take back into their organisations.

• ‘Introduction to UK Rail’ is for anyone new to the industry, from apprentices and recruiters to business development managers and established professionals moving into rail.
• ‘Accelerating Success – ESG-Driven Growth Strategies for Rail’ is for small and medium-sized organisations across any tier of the rail supply chain.
• ‘Work Winning in Rail Masterclass’ is for people and organisations seeking to win work in the UK and export overseas, from business owners to development, sales and bid teams.

Connected Places Catapult connects people, places and businesses for a future of sustainable growth and prosperity.

To deliver jobs and growth for regional economies multiple stakeholders need to work and innovate together; from every mode of transport to every type of building, the infrastructure that underpins them, and the data and digital platforms that connect them.

Attend this event for two days of interactive content, live project showcases, inspiring thought leadership and opportunities to connect with peers from technology, transport, mobility, cities, academia, and Government.

The Connected Places Summit will harness the collective ingenuity, innovation, and collaboration of our community to innovate together – as for innovation to flourish you need to be connected.

RIA Innovation Conference 2025 ‘Innovating and Transforming Rail for All’ takes place from 25-26 March 2025 in Wales.

It is a flagship event in the Unlocking Innovation programme from the Railway Industry Association (RIA) and brings together inspirational leaders, pioneering engineers, ambitious entrepreneurs and passionate railway professionals.

The event will combine an opportunity for attendees to share innovations, be inspired by technological and research advancements happening in the UK and around the world, engage with clients and suppliers to overcome barriers and, most importantly, have fun!

Join Rail Forum on 13th March for their 5th joint ‘rail freight day’ with strategic partner, Rail Freight Group and explore what is happening in freight! 

This event returns to Loughborough, and this time will feature a site tour of Tarmac’s facility as a post event activity!   

Rail Forum are thrilled to host a variety of speakers ensuring that your attendance will bring you up to date on freight developments, challenges and opportunities.

Rail Live 2025 is the UK’s largest rail exhibition with 7,000+ rail professionals, 300 exhibitors and 50 expert speakers.

Get up to date on the latest innovations, meet potential partners representing all aspects of the rail industry and over 300 suppliers.

The event also includes live demonstrations, networking and sessions led by industry leaders across two seminar theatres: Policy & Leadership and Engineering.

The Light Rail Conference 2025 is the UK’s premier event dedicated solely to the advancement of light rail, and it promises to be bigger and better than ever before.  

With over 50 expert speakers, a dedicated event app and a wealth of exceptional networking opportunities, this conference is already generating significant interest from leading companies across the sector.  

Renowned for the calibre of its presentations and industry insights, this event will place a special focus on the future of light rail in the UK, exploring the latest innovations and developments.  

Whether you’re looking to connect with industry leaders or gain valuable insights into the next generation of Light Rail, this is the must-attend event for anyone passionate about the growth of the sector.