The Secretary of State for Transport, the Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP has delivered the first keynote speech of Infrarail 2018 this morning (01 May).
Grayling delivered his speech to a packed seminar theatre at London Docklands’ ExCeL Arena, which is hosting the biennial trade exhibition for the second time. He addressed a range of topics including government investment plans, developing supply chain opportunities, the use of digital technology on future schemes, and the introduction of bi-modal trains replacing diesel engines.
He also led a call to action for organisations in the rail industry to work with the government closely to unlock new business opportunities in the UK and abroad.
Following the key note he engaged journalists and visitors in a Q&A session which featured discussion on private sector railway ownership, Crossrail 2, franchising and devolution with in Network Rail and visibility for CP6 schemes including the TransPenine upgrade, East West Rail and HS2.
Transport secretary Grayling also met with exhibiting organisations including A-Plant Rail, British Steel, Hexagon/Leica Geosystems, MRL Eye, Rosehill Rail, the RSSB and XRail to discuss product developments and innovations which could help shape future investment projects on the UK rail network.
Discussing Infrarail, the transport secretary said: “I think the event is really important for the industry here in the UK.
What we currently have in the UK is a huge amount of technology that can be used on major infrastructure projects, and so we need to create a really strong portfolio that we can offer around the world. Infrarail can play a big part in this, helping the industry come together to identify what we’ve got and to understand its potential.”
Infrarail is taking place between 1-3 May. Other keynote speakers and attendees include Managing Director of Digital Railway, Network Rail, David Waboso and Lorna Pimlott, Director of Phase Two Policy & Sponsorship, HS2.
