Rail Live 2020 postponed to September...
Author : Mark Gradwell | Editor | EPDT
01 May 2020
Rail Live 2020 postponed to September_580x280
With over 250 exhibitors & 5,000 visitors each year, plus real rolling stock on display in a real-world environment, Rail Live is the only exhibition to bring the entire rail industry together in a real railway environment. Originally scheduled for June 17-18 at Quinton Rail Technology Centre (QRTC), due to the current COVID-19 crisis, the show has now been postponed to Wednesday 9th-Thursday 10th September 2020.
This article was originally featured in the May 2020 issue of EPDT magazine [read the digital issue]. Sign up to receive your own copy each month.
Packed with the latest innovations, rolling stock, product launches, live plant demos and exclusive seminars, Rail Live will showcase the entire UK rail industry. EPDT Editor, Mark Gradwell reviews what the show will offer for visitors...
These are challenging times for railways. Society relies on railway systems more than ever before: they have become integral to how people live and economies grow in the 21st century. And with increased demands and expectations, come new opportunities and challenges for the supply chain. The face of UK rail is changing, with growing demand for modern, improved systems, infrastructure and assets fuelling an overhaul of the country’s network. Through the ‘Digital Rail’ programme, Network Rail is seeking to create more capacity on an increasingly crowded network by modernising outdated systems and adopting innovative new technologies to lead the industry into the digital age. Meanwhile, large-scale projects, including HS2 and Crossrail, lead the way for market growth – and the scope for new business opportunities is huge...
Rail Live, Europe’s largest outdoor railway showcase, is run by the publishers of RAIL, Britain’s biggest-selling modern railway magazine, in association with QRTC, the Rail Alliance and Network Rail. According to Sir Peter Hendy, Chairman of Network Rail, “Rail Live is the premier hands-on rail event of the year: rolling stock, plant, people, techniques – unmissable!” Meanwhile, Mike Noakes, Head of Rail at the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy has called it: “Farnborough for the railway”.
New for 2020 is the InnoTech Pavilion, a dedicated exhibition hall of more than 2,200m2 , featuring a diverse range of the latest innovations and technology from across the industry. Giving visitors the opportunity to explore the latest products, suppliers and cutting edge technologies, the pavilion will feature:
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• Technology providers
• The Rail Alliance Village
• Networking café
• Innovation & Technology seminar theatre
Also confirmed for this year’s event is Network Rail’s ‘Flying Banana’ New Measurement Train (NMT). The converted HST set monitors and records track condition information, using the latest technology to find faults before they affect performance or become a safety risk. The NMT covers a staggering 115,000 miles a year, capturing 10TB of image data every 440 miles.
Over the past two years, exhibits have included more than £0.5 billion worth of rail plant equipment and more than £20 million worth of locomotives and rolling stock. In 2019, the UK’s first full-sized hydrogen train, HydroFLEX was demonstrated at the show. Live demonstrations by the British Transport Police have also been a popular fixture of the event.
Rail Live 2020 postponed to September_aerial_580x280
After its official launch at the show in 2019, Porterbrook’s ‘Innovation Hub’ train is set to return for 2020. This static train testbed helps fast-track the development of new ideas and accelerate improvements to passenger services. It is used by large numbers of SMEs, which play an integral role in the UK rail industry’s supply chain, but face barriers to entry to demonstrate new ideas and innovations in a ‘real’ train environment. In response, Porterbrook created the Innovation Hub by re-purposing a four-car Class 319 train to serve as a working environment for a wide range of new technologies and passenger-facing improvements to be tested and showcased, including:
• Environmentally friendly manufacturing processes
• Improved passenger facilities
• New uses of data and connectivity
• System monitoring
Rail Live takes place at Quinton Rail Technology Centre (QRTC), Long Marston, Warwickshire, the only privately owned and independent rail testing and trialling site in the UK.
To register for this year’s Rail Live event, visit www.raillive.org.uk
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