Beyond the Rails - Events

Beyond the Rails - Events and activities 

Join leading industry experts for a series of essential conversations and events celebrating 200 years of the opening of Stockton & Darlington Railway—the world’s first modern railway. 

Navigating three key themes of people, place and performance, our 2025 events programme includes a dynamic series of panel discussions, live conversations and roundtables covering: 

• Customer focus: Improving passenger experiences for all. 

• Financial sustainability: Adapting growth strategies, enhancing affordability and safeguarding the future. 

• Devolution in a national network: Redefining how the railway works for a more agile and responsive rail network. 

• Decarbonisation: Rail’s role in creating sustainable economies and communities. 

• High-speed rail: Learning from experiences across the globe to chart what happens next. 

• Entrepreneurism and innovation: Creating the space for creativity, action and investment. 

• Investment and private sector: Unlocking opportunities for public-private collaboration. 

• Equipping the industry:  Securing the insights, skills and culture to succeed and evolve. 

Customer-first approach in a complex market, Thu 27 Feb, 14.00-14.30 (UTC)

Passengers' needs and expectations are constantly evolving, and ensuring their satisfaction requires continuous engagement, robust data, and strong advocacy.  

Transport Focus is the independent watchdog for transport users. It conducts in-depth research to identify pain points in the passenger experience and develop evidence-based solutions that influence policy and industry action.  

In this essential conversation, we’ll be discussing what needs to be done to influence decision-making to secure improvements and create better rail experiences for passengers, workers and road users. 

What we’ll cover: 

• Key challenges: what are the issues facing rail users today, the barriers to improvement, and the actions needed to create a more efficient, reliable, and passenger-focused rail network. 
• The current and future landscape: where are we and where are we aiming to get to in terms of service reliability, ticketing complexity, accessibility and value for money. 
• Policy and strategy: The impact of recent policy changes on passengers and what still needs to be done. 
• Collaboration: How can transport operators, regulators, and advocacy groups work together to drive meaningful change. 

Register to attend

Future of railway innovation and entrepreneurialism, Tue 1 Apr, 16.30-18.00 (UTC)

Speakers to be announced soon… 

Railways across the globe have been heavily influenced by entrepreneurs and evolved with important innovations.  

So, how does Britain best continue to grow and secure the entrepreneurial spirt and space to innovate? How should the Government grow its collaboration with the private sector to foster creativity, investment, and a thriving economy? And what about elsewhere in the world? 

In front of a live audience, our panel of rail industry heavyweights will cover: 

• Innovation: The railway advancements that are shaping the future through creativity and investment 
• Government and private sector collaboration: How policies, partnerships, and funding models are unlocking innovation and economic growth 
• Learning from history: Which successful technological advancements and entrepreneurial ventures have had the biggest impact on the sector?  

Who should attend: 

• Rail industry leaders and innovators: Professionals driving change in railway technology, operations, and business development. 

• Entrepreneurs and investors: Startups, venture capitalists, and private sector leaders looking to collaborate and invest in railway innovation. 

• Government and policymakers: Officials shaping transport policy and public-private partnerships to support economic growth. 

• Academics and researchers: Experts in transport, engineering, and innovation keen to explore emerging trends and opportunities in rail. 

Register to attend