One million more trains run every year with half a billion more passengers than ten years ago; a further 400 million passenger journeys are forecast for 2020 and freight haulage growth is equally as impressive. It’s the UK’s largest investment in rail since the Victorian era; more than £4bn of future investment each year to improve the network.
Growth is not restricted to the UK; there is a revival occurring with new super high-speed trains in Japan and China, and massive investments in infrastructure taking place across Europe, Asia, the Middle East and a boom in the USA. It is therefore more important than ever to ensure interoperability of systems and global standards, to share best practice and to future-proof the emerging innovations that will underpin our rail networks for the 21st century and beyond. Adopting this approach will provide significantly increased export opportunities for UK based businesses.
A wealth of innovation in wireless technology, back-end systems and end-to-end intelligence is coming to the fore. Together these will bring improved operational performance, better energy efficiency, new automated Driver Advisory Systems, European-wide Rail Traffic Management Systems, better pre-emptive maintenance, improved scheduling and increased safety through real-time camera surveillance and video analytics. Other innovations target customer centric initiatives such as smart ticketing and high quality connectivity all aimed at improving the customer experience, whilst of course delivering cost savings through efficient use of resources and the opportunity to increase revenues through delivery of new online and cloud-based services.
Against this backdrop, there is enormous scope for discussion and this insightful SIG event will focus on the following key themes:
- Regulatory framework
- Future Command and Control Systems
- Rail infrastructure safety and security
- Improved Energy Efficiency for future sustainability
- Integration and Harmonization of Information Systems
- Customer Experience Demands and Trends
You can follow @cambwireless on Twitter and tweet about this event using #CWTransport.