Railtex 2023

This year’s programme includes keynotes, Q&A sessions, and panel discussions with an incredible line-up of speakers, including leading figures from politics and industry. The conference programme is again sponsored by the Railway Industry Association, and all sessions are free to attend and CPD certified.

The show’s popular OnTrack Display area, sponsored by British Steel, returns to demonstrate tools and equipment in an authentic rail setting, and attendees can expect live demonstrations of new machines and systems and technical in-person discussions.

In addition to all of this, the Careers, Talent, and Skills Hub – hosted by RailwayPeople.com (part of Rail Media) will provide a dedicated networking area for employers, job seekers and those at the start of their journey into the rail industry. The hub will provide a space for visitors and job seekers at any stage of their career to drop by and meet employers from leading organisations in the rail industry. Experts will be on hand to give helpful advice on graduate/apprenticeship opportunities, CV writing, and general rail career pathway advice.

Attendees, visitors, and rail professionals are encouraged to visit the Careers Hub where they can network with like-minded individuals, and learn from and engage with some of the industry’s leading companies. With public interest in greener and more sustainable travel solutions at an all-time high, Railtex is a fantastic opportunity for industry professionals to discover the latest innovations and learn more about the technologies moving the industry from decarbonisation to digitalisation.

“These are exciting times for the rail industry,” says Olaf Freier, Portfolio Director Transport at RX Global. “The sector will not only continue to benefit from new opportunities, such as the ongoing rail projects from North to South and East to West in the United Kingdom, but also continue to grow amongst the challenges the rail sector has been confronted with.”

For more information, including the latest list of Exhibitors please visit www.railtex.co.uk

Full approval of Rail Safety technology from Bender has enabled more widespread investment in intelligent insulation monitoring of signal power systems in the UK.

The new generation multitier RS4 Rail Signalling Power Monitoring delivers increased sensitivity for first fault location and remote condition monitoring of core-to-earth failures, which accounts for most faults on signal power systems. RS4 helps to reduce maintenance, infrastructure, and service failures, and improves staff safety by minimising trackside intervention or ‘boots on ballast’. Bender’s RS4 technology was developed in collaboration with Network Rail in response to the standard NR/L2/SIGELP/27725 which defines requirements for insulation monitoring and fault location for use on IT Electrical Systems where the nominal system voltage does not exceed 1,000V AC or 1,500V DC.

Increasing intervention time

Network Rail regulation NR/ L3/SIGELP/50001 requires an increase in intervention windows. Faults identified at critical stages (20 kΩ or lower) require immediate intervention within 24 hours. Advanced monitoring and insulation fault location at up to 100kΩ increases intervention time, enabling fault identification within a prescribed six-week window. More importantly, it also offers the option of dealing with the fault over a longer timescale through planned and predictive maintenance. Bender systems has been the principal method of tracking and locating faults on the UK rail signalling power network for two decades. However, less critical emerging faults at lower intervention/insulation limits have been difficult to track and pinpoint. The new generation multi-tier RS4 Rail Signalling

Power Monitoring system offers increased sensitivity for first fault location and remote condition monitoring of coreto-earth failures, which account for most faults on signalling power systems. Network Rail demands maximum visibility to assess the health and condition of its power systems to support signals, points, and communications infrastructure. Manual cable testing on a five-year cycle continues to be a requirement, but RS4 is a key step forward in enabling Network Rail to move from periodic testing to a real-time condition-based approach through continuous monitoring.

Positive response

Tony Edwards, rail business manager for Bender UK commented: “The response from our customers to the Tier 1 and 2 RS4 approval has been very positive. It is being taken on board across the rail network as a straightforward way of upgrading legacy installations to deliver the extra functionality