Unlocking Innovation - Routes to Zero Carbon Rail 

19 - 22 October 2020 
Live Webinars

Join for us RIA’s next Unlocking Innovation webinar series, as we look at how the rail sector can meet the challenge of decarbonising by 2050! 

We have partnered with RSSB, Network Rail and UKRRIN to deliver an exciting schedule of events, tackling some of the key issues in the Route to Zero Carbon Rail. 

The webinar series will run daily from Monday 19 to Thursday 22 October 2020 at 14:00-15:30, and will hear from leading industry voices who are driving change, as well as elevator pitches from a range of companies.

About Routes to Zero Carbon Rail

Decarbonisation is a critical challenge facing the transport industry, and over the last two years there has been significant work and serious investment in this area. 

The railway industry, supported by the Railway Industry Association, RSSB and other key organisations, have worked to develop a strategy to decarbonise the railway to achieve the Government's target of removing all diesel only trains off the network by 2040, and making the network net zero by 2050. The Government and Department for Transport have also committed to continuing to help the UK rail sector decarbonise. 

In this series, we will explore the available technologies and strategies that can deliver a zero carbon railway by 2050. The webinars will be packed full of speakers from across the industry and beyond, and will dig beneath the long-term decarbonisation targets and strategies to explore emerging and readily available technologies and new ways of working, which can play a part in reducing rail’s carbon footprint.

The four events will focus on:

1. Driving Electrification
2. Decarbonising Self-Powered Rolling Stock
3. Zero Carbon Operations, Maintenance and Renewal
4. Generation Decarbonisation 

Scroll down for the full event programme and confirmed speakers. 

WEBINAR RECORDINGS AND PRESENTATIONS

If you have missed any of the webinars or would like to re-watch them, we are uploading the links to the recordings to our Innovation Community as the week progresses. You can also download the presentations from there.

Agenda

Day 1 - Monday 19 Oct - Driving Electrification

Rail already has a solution to decarbonise through network electrification and, rightly, this makes up a significant portion of the industry’s strategy. How can the industry further improve the delivery of electrification schemes so that more of the network can be economically electrified? What technologies are being developed to deliver electrification differently?

• Helen McAllister, Strategy & Planning Director (Wales & West), Network Rail – Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy
• Justin Moss of Siemens on Reducing the Costs of Electrification 
• Alex Byford Chief Technology Officer at Riding Sunbeams with new approaches to electrification  
• Tim Harrison, Loughborough University who is researching simulation of bi-model rail vehicle control strategies to reduce CO2; prototype tool for electrification and decarbonisation planning 

Elevator pitches include; Richard Stainton of Network Rail, Professor João Pombo from the University of Huddersfield and Steve Barbour at Composites Braiding.  
 
Day 2 - Tuesday 20 Oct - Decarbonising Self-Powered Rolling Stock 
Recognising that full network electrification isn’t a viable solution to decarbonise all of the GB rail network and that the need for self-powered freight and passenger trains will remain for some time, what are the technologies that can be used to decarbonise these trains? 

• Brian Reynolds, Product Manager, Angel Trains Ltd - Hybridisation: A self-powered alternative to diesel traction 
• Mike Edwards of Motive Zero - Using modern technology to decarbonise existing freight rail locomotives today 
• Jonathan Brown from Ricardo Rail about Implementing Innovation in Decarbonisation: How to Make it Work 
• Mike Muldoon, Head of Business Development UK&I, Alstom will talk about Project Breeze - Alstom and Eversholt Hydrogen Train

Elevator pitches include; Chris Smith of G-Volution, Matt Candy of Steamology, Stuart Hillmansen of Birmingham University and Paul Allen from the University of Huddersfield.  
 
Day 3 - Wednesday 21 Oct - Zero Carbon Operations, Maintenance and Renewal 
Whilst decarbonising traction energy will yield the greatest contribution to zero carbon overall goal, there remains a need to decarbonise the operations, maintenance and renewal of railway assets. What initiatives are being pursued to achieve this and what lessons can be learnt from other sectors? 

• Howard Lungley, Sustainability Lead, Frazer Nash - Experience from a different sector: Decarbonising telecommunications 
• Janet Dunnett, Programme Development Manager at Network Rail & Philip Charles, Principal Sustainability Consultant, AECOM- A Resource Exchange Tool - towards a circular economy approach at Network Rail 
• Chris Hayes, Sustainability Operations Director, Skanska on Delivering Zero Carbon Infrastructure 
• David Milne, Research Fellow, Infrastructure Research Group, University of Southampton with Targeted maintenance for trackbed defects

Elevator pitches include; Bengt Cousins-Jenvey from Type Four Projects, Peter Ainsworth at EneRail Ltd, Andy Davies from Unipart Rail. 

Day 4 - Thursday 22 Oct - Generation Decarbonisation? 
Rail is one component in the nation's drive towards decarbonisation. As a network of critical national infrastructure, what role can rail play in the wider decarbonisation agenda and what are the technologies that can help deliver this? 

• Russel Fowler, Senior Project Manager – Transport Decarbonisation, National Grid - Energy networks supporting innovative rail decarbonisation 
• David Horsfall, Director,  Tyseley Energy Park + Stephen Kent, Research / Teaching Fellow, University of Birmingham - how Birmingham’s oldest company intends to stimulate innovation and deliver energy system solutions  
• Andrew Kluth, Lead Carbon Specialist, RSSB about the Rail Decarbonisation R&D programme 
• David Golightly, Senior Research Associate, Future Mobility Group, Newcastle University - Digital Environment for Collaborative Intelligent De-carbonisation (DECIDe)

Elevator pitches include: Rebeka Sellick of SellickRail Ltd, Will Drury of Innovate UK, Jon Constable of TP Group 

Sign up for an Elevator Pitch

A regular feature of Unlocking Innovation events are the 'elevator pitches', where those with innovative, new ideas give a short three minute presentation. These can be on a new product or service or a new idea or concept that relates to the theme of the week, Routes to Zero Carbon Rail.

To propose an 'elevator pitch', please email [email protected].