Rail Partners

As Rail Partners closes its doors for the final time today, we would like to thank all our members and everyone from across the industry for their support and engagement over the past three years. You can watch a video of some of our highlights below. We hope that the Rail Reform Bill, coming later this year, will create a framework that delivers a better service for customers and provides certainty and clarity for the future, even if Rail Partners won’t be part of it.  Rail Partners’ website will stay live for the next twelve months and we hope that some of the materials and evidence that we have produced over the past three years continue to contribute to, and stimulate, discussion as the more substantial areas of reform are worked through. #RailReform #RailIndustry #Railways

Good to see a busy room for our Cyber Security conference today, hosted jointly with Rail Delivery Group and RSSB at Thinktank Birmingham. The event coincides with the re-launch of the Rail Cyber Security Strategy which offers a consistent and systematic approach to information security across railway organisations. Today’s keynote, Nicole Jennings, RDG outlined the strategy’s five objectives, and discussed the need to socialise security strategies across the whole organisations, and the importance of embedding security at the design stage, and when decommissioning. Darren Fitzgerald CEng FIET, RSSB talked about the standards landscape and James Walker Office of Rail and Road (ORR) a proportionate approach to risk management. The morning session continued with Apoorv Shrivastava, RSSB, Alan Cain, RDG and Danny Rigby, Modux. Marc Silverwood and George Copeland, Northern, discussed the importance of collaboration for managing threats and addressing the cost implications of robust cyber security. They also looked at the need to proactively identify weaknesses and then design them out, and develop appropriate contracts with suppliers, including manufacturers. The afternoon saw a successful workshop session, with delegates considering a range of fleet scenarios based on working with external suppliers and other organisations to prevent or respond to breaches on the railway. Our afternoon speakers Bruno Mielli Corasolla, Hitachi Rail and George Bearfield, Rock Rail , were on hand with valuable insights around supply chain collaboration and managing security through systems change. Thanks to both RDG and RSSB, as well as everyone who spoke at, or attended, what is the last of our Operator Services member events. #railindustry #rollingstock #cybersecurity Neil Ovenden Mark Gaynor Susie Beevor Phil Barrett David Gould Mark Oakley

Although today's freight rail usage and performance statistics from Office of Rail and Road (ORR) show freight volumes have continued to recover, with rail costs rising three times faster than road, government needs to create a more favourable environment for rail freight. Read more in our statement here: https://lnkd.in/eNgdYQEH

Today, we hosted The Rail Freight Parliamentary Reception to discuss how government and industry can work together to grow rail freight, securing new economic and environmental benefits for Britain.    The cross-party consensus on the importance of rail freight is strong but the current operating environment is tough. The cost of moving goods by rail has risen three times faster than road costs over the last decade, partly driven by government policy.    Rail freight growth won’t happen on its own. In our recent report – A Greener Track – we identified four key measures to unlock long-term growth. The most important of those is getting the structure of the industry right in the context of the Rail Reform Bill government is currently consulting on. Thank you to our speakers and hosts including Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, Gareth Bacon, Paul Kohler, Ruth Cadbury, Martin Vickers, Charlotte Cane and Tim Shoveller Read our report - A Greener Track - here: https://lnkd.in/gXm6SFgS   #RailFreightReception25

Ahead of #IWD2025 tomorrow, we are very pleased to share that our Director of External Affairs, Hannah Moxon, has been featured in the Trade Association Forum Women in Trade Associations 2025 Powerlist for the third year in a row 👏 #InternationalWomensDay #WomenInRail

Last night, Rail Partners hosted The George Bradshaw Reception to thank our members and stakeholders for their support and engagement over the past three years. Pictures of the event can be found here: https://lnkd.in/eSa2-Pft Thanks to everyone who attended.

🚆 ⌨️ On board with AI: Head of Engineering, Neil Ovenden, writes about the potential applications, and challenges of artificial intelligence in rail for the Rail Partners blog, with a little help from Google AI's Gemini. ✨ https://lnkd.in/em28djhP #railwayoperations

Following the government's announcement today that it will be launching a consultation on the coming rail reform bill, you can find Rail Partners' response here: https://lnkd.in/ecNZDdWX

The Rail Freight Parliamentary Reception is taking place on 📅 Tuesday 11 March at the House of Commons, welcoming representatives from across the Houses of Parliament, Whitehall, the rail and logistics sectors, and beyond. Join us to celebrate the potential of rail freight 🛤️ and for discussion on how it can be supported to grow, helping to kickstart economic growth, 📈 achieving net zero targets,🍃 and to build new homes 🏡 and infrastructure for Britain. We look forward to hearing from all our speakers, including the Minister of State for Rail, Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, and Freightliner CEO Tim Shoveller. Please note, places are limited. To secure your invitation, email us at 📧 [email protected]. Colas Rail DB Cargo (UK) Limited Direct Rail Services Freightliner Group Ltd GB Railfreight #sustainabletransport #railway #policy

Experience shows that devolving ownership and control of rail services to local leaders can be transformative. TfL has revived London’s orbital railways under its Overground banner, Merseyrail has delivered consistently high-performing services in Liverpool, and regional control of local services is now the norm in countries across Europe. 🚄 🚉 🏙️ Government’s recent English Devolution White Paper sets out a ‘generational project of determined devolution’ to move decision making closer to local communities. Meanwhile Mayors across the country have been seeking greater control over local rail services as they look to address issues such as poor reliability, weak accountability, and under-investment. However, with plans to create Great British Railways as a ‘directing mind’, the railway is set to become even more centralised. Greater local control represents a significant opportunity to secure the benefits of rail devolution, supporting growth and improving services, but government will need to clarify how GBR will interact with Mayors that want more say over their local railways. A clear framework for deciding which proposals to approve will be important, along with recognition that the same model won’t work everywhere. Read more in Andy Bagnall's latest blog on railbusinessdaily.com, 💻 Rail devolution under Great British Railways – local control or a directing mind?: https://news.railbusinessdaily.com/rail-devolution-under-great-british-railways-local-control-or-a-directing-mind/ You can also download our policy briefing 📄 Great Local Railways: Models and principles for rail devolution in England under Great British Railways, for a detailed analysis of the challenges and opportunities of further devolving rail services: https://railpartners.co.uk/our-work/publications/briefing-great-local-railways #EnglishDevolution #MetroMayors #LocalGovernment #RegionalGrowth #RailBusinessDaily