Date/Time
Date(s) - March 5 2025
9:30am - 2:00pm
Location
Leeds LS10 1JR
The average age of rolling stock for passenger train operators in Great Britain was 16.6 years (March 2024) with Chiltern Railways having the oldest units of just over 30 years, and Lumo with lowest average age at 2.8 years. Following immediately behind Chiltern Railways, we have a South Western Railway, ScotRail, Northern Railway, East Midlands Railway, CrossCountry, and Southeastern in a kind of ‘joint second place’ stock aged between 24.4 years and 22.2 years. You can find more info on the national fleet on the ORR dataportal here.
With the exception of HS2 (Dec 2021) and LNER inter-city trains, there have been no new orders since December 2019. Whilst we know of tenders on the horizon, the fact remains that some of the oldest rolling stock must gather its wits and continue to deliver for UK passengers for a few years yet. This is Continued Service Operation and its not easy.
We welcome the opportunity to explore CSO within our Fleet Performance series and look forward to a meaty discussion about just ‘how’ the industry will collaborate to deliver this outcome.
Session 1
This session will kick start the discussion with a foray into status quo with RDG before looking at some specific situations with perspectives from ROSCO, TOC and infrastructure operator
- Mark Molyneux, Rail Delivery Group
- Andy Bagguley, Porterbrook
- Jack Commandeur, Engineering Director, Northern Trains
- Ross Moran, Scotland’s Railways
- ScotRail (TBC)
Session 2
After the break, we will explore some specific opportunities and projects
- Turbostar User Group (TBC)
- Richard Mercado, Angel Trains
- Lee Atkinson, Transport for Wales
- Gav Thomas, Rail Fleet Services
We are grateful to colleagues in Northern Trains who are supporting this event with a post-lunch tour of Neville Hill.
Attendees can expect all the usual benefits of a Rail Forum event: delegate list in advance, roll call for members, Q&A panels and extended breaks for networking.
Event Partners
Our event partners make these events happen and we are delighted to introduce them:
“Looking forward to hearing from keynote speakers on a subject that is crucial to the extending the longevity of trains throughout our rail network. How we as suppliers to the industry can contribute to effectively maintain, modernise and ultimately deliver an enhanced travel experience for all rail passengers. The steps we can take to improve reliability in service for existing fleets and the technologies that can facilitate change to make this happen.
That’s where we at Bode can contribute. From retrofit OEM door systems which are adaptable to a variety of vehicles, to platform, train door cycle and passenger detection for prevention of incidents such as trap and drag, we can draw on demonstrated expertise from our installations on new UK fleet introductions and translate this experience to bring solutions for ageing fleets. This is our core focus toward operators and ROSCOs, a good example of which we will be delivering on an existing UK fleet over next couple of years.” Nick Thomas, MD, Bode
“We are proud to have been a valued Rail Forum partner for over three years, during which we have greatly appreciated the incredible support they provide to the rail community. The events, networking opportunities, and shared expertise fostered by the Rail Forum have been instrumental in driving collaboration and innovation across the industry.
At Complete Cyber, we are dedicated to supporting the rail sector by enhancing cybersecurity resilience and ensuring operational integrity. With decades of expertise, we specialize in security testing, risk assessment, and offering advanced solutions designed to automate the detection and inspection of cybersecurity vulnerabilities. These tools not only bolster the cyber defenses of rolling stock but also aid in improving maintenance efficiency and overall performance. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Rail Forum and engaging with industry leaders at upcoming events.” Evan Jones, Lead Security Architect, Complete Cyber
“TrainFX are delighted to sponsor the Rail Forum’s Fleet Performance Event on 5th March! We are experts in retrofit solutions and design our technology in a way that is future proof; uses military grade materials; and has commonality across all of our products to reduce costs and mitigate variation in our products… adding to the reliability of our systems!
Our company has long-standing relationships with several UK universities and has successfully won government funding for various solutions, including our innovative field ready, non-destructive testing solution…Accuspect.
We are always looking to apply our Derby-based, in-house design and manufacturing capabilities to find solutions to industry problems and look forward to engaging with like-minded suppliers, operators, manufacturers and owners at this event!” Hansoon Han, MD, TrainFX
“Petards Rail is delighted to be supporting the Fleet Performance event, hosted by the Rail Forum. Petards has been a key player in the provision of mission-critical safety systems (including CCTV/ASDO) on trains for over 30 years – and the lifecycle of rolling stock and the importance of ongoing performance is a subject we know well. Our value proposition has to straddle both legacy hardware and the next generation of software-based systems, all with an eye on Continued Service Operation. The Petards team looks forward to meeting you at this key Rail Forum event in Leeds”. Simon Jones, Director of Business Development
Who should attend?
This event is ideal for anyone currently working in or exploring the rail freight industry with particular interests in both infrastructure innovation / maintenance / and wagon technologies or is simply keen to understand more about the sector.
Eligibility
This event is free to Rail Forum members (maximum 2 places). Additional places are charged at £50 plus VAT each.
Non-members are welcome to attend this event. A ticket, maximum one per company, can be purchased for £150. Please select Non-Member on the booking page and proceed to payment.
Registration Deadline
Bookings will close on 19th February 2025, or sooner if the event is fully booked. Joining instructions will be issued 26th February 2025.
Bookings
Members, please select your company name from list; if you are not a Rail Forum member please select Non-Member.
