Morning chair’s welcome and opening remarks
09:30 to
09:45
Speaker:
Max Sugarman.
Public Affairs & PR Director.
Railway Industry Association.
Part 1 – Latest insight on The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail: timelines, implementation and impact on all aspects of the industry
09:45 to
14:20
Williams Shapps Plan for the Rail: a modern and innovative future for the railway
09:45 to
10:00
Speaker:
Keith Williams.
Chair.
Williams Rail Review.
Delivering the William Shapps Plan
10:00 to
10:20
Speaker:
Chris Heaton-Harris MP.
Minister of State.
Department for Transport.
Driving the Williams Shapps plan for Rail forward: what happens next
10:20 to
10:40
Speakers:
Conrad Bailey.
Director General Rail Strategy and Services.
Department for Transport.
Anit Chandarana.
Chief of Staff.
Great British Railways Transition Team.
Panel discussion: How and when will The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail be implemented and what affect will it have on the industry?
10:40 to
11:20
- Latest timelines for implementation
- Impact on all aspects of the industry from passenger to freight and infrastructure
- Role of private sector moving forward
- Key challenges posed by the Plan and how they can be overcome
- Maximising the opportunities created by the Plan for long overdue change
Speakers:
Andy Bagnall.
Director General.
Rail Delivery Group.
Michael Clark.
Director - Policy and Rail Reform.
Great British Railways Transition Team.
Paul Hirst.
Partner, Head of Transport.
Addleshaw Goddard.
Panel discussion: Rail projects and reform – updates on key schemes and the possible implications of the Williams-Shapps Plan on projects under development
11:50 to
12:30
- Latest timelines and progress of major rail projects underway: HS2, East West Rail, Great North Rail Project, Transpennine Route Upgrade
- The status of long-term and planned projects - how will they be realised?
- Impact of reform on the funding of planned and new projects
Speakers:
Simon Blanchflower CBE.
CEO.
East West Rail.
Caroline Donaldson.
Managing Director.
West Coast Partnership Development.
Milda Manomaityte.
Senior Technical & Policy Manager.
Railway Industry Association.
Exploring the opportunities and challenges created for freight by reform
12:30 to
12:55
- How can we maintain the positive momentum and further recent progress?
- How can we ensure freight is not overlooked and represented in the process of reform?
- Future opportunities for freight
Speaker:
Maggie Simpson OBE.
Director General.
Rail Freight Group.
Part 2 – ‘Building back better’: Using rail reform as a catalyst for positive change in achieving decarbonisation targets and fuelling economic growth across the UK
13:55 to
16:50
Afternoon chair's opening remarks
13:55 to
14:05
Speaker:
David Clarke.
Technical Director.
Railway Industry Association.
How will rail reform help the industry achieve its decarbonisation targets?
14:05 to
14:30
- The decarbonisation agenda in relation to overall rail strategy
- What can we learn from other European railways??
- Tackling the cost of electrification
- Funding of new projects, different options and Government initiatives – justifying schemes and capital expenditure
Speaker:
Jenny Cooke.
Programme Engineering Manager, Central Route.
Network Rail.
Incentivising innovation and technological transformation in rail
14:30 to
14:55
- Opportunities created by rail reform for innovation in the industry (increasing efficiencies)
- How can new initiatives be funded?
- The role of private investment in digitalising the railway
- How can new technology be assimilated into the daily running of the railway?
Speaker:
Dan Piner.
Rail Innovation Lead.
Innovate UK.
Working collaboratively to ensure rail generates economic growth in the North of England
15:25 to
15:50
- How will the Williams-Shapps Plan support ‘levelling up’ by rail?
- How will GBR work alongside Northern Powerhouse Rail, regional authorities, and committees?
- Update on key projects (planned and underway) and funding options
Speaker:
Martin Tugwell.
Chief Executive.
Transport for the North.
Panel discussion: Putting the passenger first: How can we deliver a better, more attractive, and accessible service for all?
15:50 to
16:40
- What do passengers want? Key changes to travelling patterns and demands
- How can the passenger experience and the rail product be improved?
- How can we capitalise on a climate of change to make rail more accessible for all?
- Methods for funding accessibility schemes
Speakers:
Sharon Hedges.
Senior Stakeholder Manager.
Transport Focus.
Claire Ansley.
Customer Experience Director.
LNER.
Caroline Eglinton.
Disability and Access Ambassador for Rail Industry & Access and Inclusion Manager.
Network Rail.
Neil Connor.
Client Executive Public Transport.
Fujitsu.