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YOUNG RAIL PROFESSIONALS
RAILSTAFF JULY/AUGUST 2020
S L A N IO S S E F O R P L AI D WIDE YOUNG RW ORL YRP'S ' R E V O E K A WEB 'T RANGE TIME, T S A N E E B S A H N LOCKDOW LED AND MOST L E C N A C S T N E V E WITH HOME. SO WHY M O R F G IN K R O W PEOPLE ALS BEEN N IO S S E F O R P IL A R HAS YOUNG ? BUSIER THAN EVER
W
hile the country may be in lockdown, there has never been a busier time for YRP! Across the regions, it has been running webinars, discussion panels and even a virtual pub social – all online. With topics ranging from ‘Levelling up the North’ to ‘Mental Health’ – a particularly relevant topic during this stressful time – there has been something for everyone.
Over the last few months, our Networking and Development team and our fantastic regional committees have been squirreling away to deliver a programme of webinars to the YRP community covering an impressive array of topics. These kicked-off in May, when YRP North East (spearheaded by Oliver Craig) welcomed David Horne (LNER), Maggie Simpson (Rail Freight Group) and Tim Wood (Transport for the North - TfN) to discuss the current status of the UK rail industry and future visions. After a flying start, YRP North East zealously maintained momentum, delivering both an excellent discussion on two topics – levelling up the North with rail programmes (in partnership with Network Rail and TfN), and a look at the industry through a freight lens, with insights from John Smith (GB Railfreight) and Lee Armstrong (Associated British Ports). Snapshot of YRP webinars May - July 2020.
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Not wanting to be left behind, other YRP regions were soon hot on their heels. YRP North West partnered up with Women in Rail and Robin Davis (at the time, head of new trains at TransPennine Express) to discover more about TPE’s introduction of the NOVA fleet. For YRP East Midlands, decarbonisation within the rail industry was the focus of their discussions with David Clarke (RIA). YRP London and South East collaborated with the Safety and Reliability Society on a lunchtime seminar about RSSB’s work stimulating crossindustry initiatives and projects, maximising data, and promoting innovation. They also got together with Ali Parandeh (Hack Partners) for a wonderful introductory workshop on Artificial Intelligence in the rail industry, as well as hosting separate webinars on ‘Human Factors in Rail’, ‘Disrupting Disruption’ and ‘Digital Innovation and Customer Experience’. YRP Scotland enthusiastically secured time with Alex Hynes (Scotland’s Railways), for a talk on Scotland’s rail industry - touching upon Alex’s role, current and future projects and prospective challenges, particularly in light of Covid-19. Meanwhile, YRP West Midlands welcomed Peter Harbottle (Atkins), to discuss the future of railway signalling systems, and partnered with Women in Rail to hear from Alex Burrows (BCRRE) on decarbonisation, digitalisation and de-coding Covid-19. Collaborations also took place between YRP regions. YRP East Midlands and YRP West Midlands combined forces to talk
