HS2, Network Rail & TfL
The two days saw speeches from key client organisations including by Mark Thurston, Chief Executive of HS2 Ltd and Andrew Haines, Chief Executive of Network Rail and Claire Porter, Head of Transport Systems Engineering at TfL.
Thurston set out the scope for innovation on HS2, suggesting that the project was an opportunity for the rail industry to bring new techniques and technologies into the sector. He highlighted that the construction industry’s productivity lagged behind a number of other sectors, as well as the economy as a whole.
Thurston spoke about the ways in which HS2 Ltd was seeking to promote innovations, including a dedicated innovation hub on the HS2 website, and through activities like hackathons. Raising the point that innovation can come from anywhere, Thurston recounted how at one hackathon, the camera crew who were filming the event actually came up with a solution themselves and started getting involved in the session.
In terms of practical applications, Thurston gave a number of case studies, including the use of autonomous construction vehicles, the recycling of heat generated by the rail system (recently proposed as a way of heating homes from HS2 in the Old Oak Common area), smart asset management and the application of digital railway.
Andrew Haines was similarly emphatic about the need for change in the industry. He highlighted that Network Rail had to shift from an engineering company to a customer-facing business, highlighting that some past projects were great feats of engineering, but had not yet delivered benefits to rail passengers.
He set out the changes Network Rail was making to its structure, including the further devolution to five regions and thirteen routes, and how Network Rail was becoming more accessible to rail suppliers, and open to new ideas. He also spoke about the need to decarbonise the rail network, using both electrification and emerging technologies like hydrogen and battery.
Haines’ presentation was followed by Professor Andrew Doherty, Network Rail’s Chief Rail Technology Officer and Toufic Machnouk, Route Programme Director, as well as a number of presentations from the Network Rail R&D team. Doherty said that the use of innovation to improve the rail network was not new, quoting the reduction in rail breaks due to a suite of changes in track monitoring. Similarly, Machnouk gave an inspiring presentation on the need for leaders in rail to challenge conventional thinking.
On the second day, the Conference heard from Claire Porter of Transport for London. She set out the Mayor’s key aims from his Transport Strategy and set out the role of the new TfL Engineering division, which cut across all modes of transport to help support TfL’s technical work. Porter highlighted past innovations like in the use of CAD modelling to deliver the Neasden Heavy Maintenance Facility, as well as the delivery of track on Crossrail. Porter said that TfL was looking to work with suppliers to innovate, mentioning the TfL Standards Challenge, a new initative with RIA to enable suppliers to question overly rigorous standards.