In this episode Johannah & Liam are joined by Guy Barkley, CEO and Founder of Atmo Technology - our newest member!  To celebrate this new partnership, Guy joined the pod to discuss Atmo’s environmental capabilities and the impact they aim to achieve in the rail industry. This podcast delves into the innovative solutions Atmo offers and their contribution to a sustainable future for rail transport. We take the time to explore how a company develops from a 'spin off' to a fully fledged SME in the supply chain, and the challenges along the way. With great advice for new start ups the team covers aspects including responding to industry challenges, procurement routes, grant funding and trade shows, all while maintaining a healthy work environment. Links: https://www.atmotech.co.uk/

In this episode, Johannah, Deb and Liam discuss the first steps taken by the new UK Government to improve and integrate the transport system. With reference to the bills proposed in July 2024's King's Speech. We cover our hopes and anxieties of the new, more comprehensive public transport investment and operational model. We also discuss our most recent thoughtpiece, released in June 2024, Small Voices Expanding Horizons - Reflecting UK Start Ups International Growth: which looks at the successes and challenges faced by our members as they venture into international markets. The report draws on research and firsthand accounts to highlight the strategic approaches, partnerships, and innovations that have enabled our members to overcome barriers and succeed internationally. Download the report at www.railinnovationgroup.com

In this episode Liam spoke with friend of the Rail Innovation Group, John Lawrence. With a history of bringing innovation into rail from both within and without rail, we talked about his experience with signalling, corporate constraints, mentorship and even the waves of (innovation) change.   Plus John gives his insight on large organisations' appetite for risk as well as his advice for new recruits on how best to make a difference to peoples' lives - hint... work out what skills you have to offer!

Liam & Johannah discuss the current uncertainty on national rail's future, including asking who benefits from Scotland's off-peak all day trial. Plus Liam speaks with Ben Jones, Business Development Manager at S&B (09:45), to ask him of his experience working within a larger supplier - what are their challenges with the innovation space; and does the company want to innovate, or does it have to innovate? 

Ben gives an open welcome to collaboration with smaller suppliers, reflecting the infectious enthusiasm of start ups' passion and knowledge of their solutions.   His advice for new entrants to the market: be patient and be pushy!

We spoke with Window Seater's Marcus Allender on the origin of the journey guide app, from the French countryside to helping Gail the Goose find her hat!   We hear how the developers have sought to respond to an industry need to improve journey experience, bringing diversity of voices into the stories selected, as well the various commercial routes to roll out.

Liam & Johannah catch up after the summer to discuss the Rail Innovation Group's plans for autumn, plus Liam speaks with GCRE's Director of Strategy and Skills, Rob Forde, (at 17:20) to hear about the exciting plans for the massive Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE), including opportunities for local communities, local institutions, as well as SME's nationwide - it's not just a test site! We hear Rob's top advice to new entrants to the rail sector - take advantage of every opportunity and persist on through!

We speak with Eurostar's Jon Witt to discuss how the diversity of cultures​ in the organisation help Eurostar to build a virtuous circle of attracting great staff to deliver great services. We discuss the merging of Eurostar and Thalys cultures, hearing how people across both organisations are already working​ collaboratively together.​ 

We discuss lessons that can be brought to the future development of Great British Railways - diversity is the name of the game!

Plus, we hear Jon's advice for young people considering a career in rail - grab those opportunities!

In this episode Liam speaks with CrossTech's Haydon Bartlett-Tasker, discussing all things algorythms, analytics, gardens and collaboration, as well as the challenge of being an SME in the rail industry: iteration is the name of the game! Don't worry, we do end with positive message on the future.

Remarkably, the Rail Innovation Group's Deb, Johannah & Liam are all in the same room, in the same city so we had to take the opportunity to have a discussion on the latest news from the world of GB rail, as well as to have a deep dive into our recently published paper, Improving the Innovation Funding Ecosystem (download or read on our website, railinnovationgroup.com)

In this episode Liam Henderson & Deb Carson spoke with Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain of East West Rail to discuss the role of innovation in the wider railway project, as well as the opportunities created by this unique project to deliver services across a range of communities. Daisy shares her insight of the rail innovation landscape & lends her support to start ups and SMEs keen to engage with the project.

Liam speaks to Ben Saunders of Signapse about the use of information in sign language using AI at some National Rail stations. We discuss how the photo-realistic avatars convey key details of audible announcements, how to sign unusual stations, how passengers have interacted with the technology, whether they can truly replicate audible announcements, & what's next!

signapse.ai

Johannah & Liam chat on whether future mobility has made it into rural areas, plus we introduce our new thought piece on funding innovation which looks at the different measures of success between the public & private approach to innovation project funding - is there an opportunity to change the approach, why wait for structural changes?

Download the report at railinnovationgroup.com

 

It's been five years since Johannah and Liam began the podcast. In this episode, they reflect back on some of the milestones from the period, including diverging transport policy in the nations of Britain; the developing - and redeveloping - policy environment; and the impact of all this change  on small companies. All alongside our aspirations for the next five years. They anchor the discussion on the original question: what's the point of transport?

In this episode Liam speaks with Neil Barnfather MBE, Chief Commercial Officer of GoodMaps. They discuss the application of the wayfinding technology in the GB rail context, realising the benefits of enabling self-led journeys through railway station and other interior environments using only their mobile devices.

 

Links: https://www.goodmaps.com/

Network Rail project vids:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9Z0dtgIC1A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ouRJhF9OHk

 

This bonus episode provides the extract of the interview we recently had with Nomad Digital's Mike Butler to discuss how they are working to innovate through building on existing platforms, and their advice for smaller companies - don't be afraid to collaborate! 

nomad-digital.com

In this episode Liam, Johannah & Deb get together to discuss the new, new government. What do we hope for in upcoming policy announcements and how do we hope the true value of investment will help to spread opportunities around the country. Plus, we have an interview with our member Nomad Digital's Mike Butler do hear how they are working to innovate through building on existing platforms, and their advice for smaller companies - don't be afraid to collaborate!

Johannah & Liam discuss the topic of the most recent Rail Innovation Group Meet Up held to discuss the Network Rail R&D Benefits Framework. They cover the implication of the decision to delay the transition to Great British Railways (GBR) and how the continued uncertainty is affecting small suppliers.

In this episode Johannah, Deb & Liam discuss this year's InnoTrans in Berlin. At this biannual trade fair bringing the global rail industry together we look back at our impressions of how a general mood of uncertainty was influencing companies' and governments' investment plans, as well as their journey towards Net Zero.

 

We had a lot of useful conversations with our members as well as the wider community, making new friends along the way. Our top requests for next time: more diversity, more innovation, & more drinking water!

In this podcast Liam, Johannah & Deb get together to discuss our plans for a study into innovation funding, how apprentices can support diversity within larger companies, as well as an exciting update on our Parcels as Passengers workstream! 

In this episode Johannah & Liam were joined by Faizan Patankar of (relatively) new rail industry entrant, Amygda, to hear about how the company has found their entry into the rail sector, having previously worked in aviation. We discussed the how the company had to 'learn the language of rail' to engage with partners and a challenger to the way rail goes about maintenance planning!

In this episode Johannah, Liam & Deb Carson review the implications of the multiple infrastructure announcements made during 2021. Discussing the knock-on effects to the image of rail in the eyes of new suppliers, they consider whether rail will be an attractive market to SMEs who are now more remote from the proposed HS2 network & not part of the Union Connectivity links. Plus, will the decisions of 2021 help deliver our climate change commitments?

Edited podcast featuring Johannah Randall & Liam Henderson's interview with Johan Berhin of Swedish company Green Furniture Concept. They discussed doing international business over the pandemic period. We hear how the company's mission to use natural design to improve place-making is enhance public spaces & how people treat those spaces, and we discuss their vision to be a completely sustainable company.

   

In this episode Johannah Randall & Liam Henderson were joined by Johan Berhin of Swedish company Green Furniture Concept to discuss doing international business over the pandemic period. We hear how the company's mission to use natural design to improve place-making is enhance public spaces & how people treat those spaces, and we discuss their vision to be a completely sustainable company.

In today's episode Johannah, Deb and Liam discuss the UK Labour party's proposed rail policy (sounding a little familiar) as well as Johannah's recent trip to the Transport Research Arena conference in Dublin. We also cover whether AI will fool us with its simulated feelings and whether data is helpful in achieving diversity. With questions over who we count as 'the rail industry' and what diversity actually means, and the benefit of transferable skills. Here's the article Johannah referenced: Do many women want to be train drivers: https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/do-many-women-want-to-be-train-drivers/ Here's the conference Johannah attended: Transport Research Arena: https://traconference.eu/

Liam Henderson travelled to Sheffield to meet up with the team at 3Squared to see how they'd got on over the last tumultuous year. We covered how the company had recruited, up-skilled, & kept a sense of teamwork throughout the remote period.

The new vision for rail? Johannah & Liam discuss their first thoughts on Great British Railways: The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail published on 20th May 2021. They look over the plan in terms of the offer for passengers & the outlook for small suppliers.

We're joined by our friend & regular guest Deb Carson, where we discuss how even the ticket buying process can support the decarbonisation agenda by making a consumer-centred service. Plus we introduce the Rail Innovation Group's latest workstream to explore the opportunities for rail & cargo bikes to provide an end-to-end solution for small cargo - what infrastructure would we need & what are the barriers to expanding the concept?

With demand for transport reduced during the Covid-19 disruptions, is now the time to make public transport free? Our guests, Revenue Analytics' Gareth Hawkins & Open Transport's Hayden Sutherland, join us to discuss this topical topic. 

Recorded in November 2020, on the eve of England's new social restrictions, Johannah & Liam discuss how rail operators are responding to this temporary change & how it further embeds a new model of movement.

Johannah & Liam were joined by Ben Craze, CEO, Infinitive Group & one of the Founding Members of the Rail Innovation Group, to discuss how the company was using this unusual period to build a base for future growth - as well as some insight & advice for new entrants... partner, collaborate & don't be too protective!

It's been ages since Johannah & I caught up for a podcast. Here we discussed our recent experiences getting back on the rails in the summer of 2020. We look forward to the Rail Innovation Group's series of Micro Meets & our appearances at next week's SmartTransit event. https://www.smarttransitusa.com/

 

On this podcast we're joined by fellow Rail Innovation Grouper Deb Carson, to speak with Lucy Prior & James Fox of 3Squared to discuss all things Sheffield, skills & digital. 3Squared were due to be our partners to deliver our postponed Start Up Rail event in Sheffield so we discuss what we would have covered at the event & our plans to create an event better event when we can! 

https://3squared.com/ 

https://www.railinnovationgroup.com/start-up-rail/

Johannah & I spoke to Simon Brown of Opal Rail about his experience growing a new business during a pandemic. Simon discusses the launch of his eBook with insight & tips for companies hoping to raise capital & engage potential funding partners.

Johannah & Liam discuss the launch of an industry study looking at whether the Covid 19 changes to mobility patterns have created an opportunity to further the progression of the future mobility transformation. They're joined by high speed rail leader, Deb Carson to hear her insight on how rail demand will change in future & a call for ticketing to respond to future travel patterns.

Johannah is flying solo in this episode and had the incredible opportunity to attend the Railway Industry Association's Innovation Conference in Wales, where it was a whirlwind of excitement!  From keynote speeches to tech talks, exhibitor spotlights, and more, there was never a dull moment.

In this episode, she'll be chatting with some of old friends and brilliant innovators who are shaping the future of rail.

But first, let's talk about the unexpected surprise that kicked off the conference. Our host, Milda Manomaityte, strutted in with her new best friend - the robodog! Now, that definitely caught everyone's attention, sparking a debate about the future of rail innovation and maybe even a hint of extra-terrestrial excitement!

We heard from industry leaders who shared insights into resetting rail and the start of CP7. The vision for the future is clear: innovation is key to addressing challenges and driving efficiency gains.

Johannah had the chance to catch up with some conference delegates, including One Big Circle's Emily Kent, Doopee Doo's Philippe Mele, and Arcadis' Meirion Thomas. We discussed key conference themes such as sustainability, collaboration, and yes, those divisive robots!

Day two continued with the launch of RIA's thought leadership report, 'Destination: Revenue Growth.' This report looks at the gaps in rail ticketing and offers recommendations to enhance the customer experience and boost revenue.

Now, here's the big question: are these recommendations truly addressing passenger needs? We'll explore this further in our next episode, so stay tuned!

A short time ago we were joined by Barrie Cottam, Head of Business Development, from Hitachi Rail who discussed with us about how the unprecedented time are impacting rolling stock construction & maintenance. As a larger organisation, we asked what new methods the company was using to keep in touch with colleagues & customers.

We spoke to Mike Lloyd of Jnction about how how the company is making the case to demonstrate the benefits of its newest products during this period of change. We hear about the value of public investment to support innovation in the sector. 

Johannah & Liam spoke to Opinsta’s Dan Kong who had a positive note about the current disruption, noting that there’s going to be a thirst to innovate. Dan talks to us about reallocating resources to embed product benefits and learning about their client’s challenges.

Johannah & Liam speak with Deeper Than Blue's Phil Facey to discuss the importance of having resilient software during a time of peak online interaction. How is Phil responding to the current demands to support clients through the Covid-19 period?

Johannah & Liam were joined by Jo Reid, Managing Director of Calvium, to hear about how the business was responding to the current situation by maintaining relationships with clients whilst also seeking new opportunities to use Calvium's skill set to help meet current needs such as to develop a platform to help manage the distribution of PPE.

During the COVID 19 disruption we moved online. Our Munch & Learn sessions bring the community together to discuss what opportunities are available in the rail sector & how the start ups can respond to the new challenges. We heard from Nik Lusardi who presented the topic if How to Innovate at a Time of Adversity, based on his experience in the airline industry after 9/11.

 

We spoke to Lucy Prior from Sheffield-based 3Squared about how to keep up with industry contacts, programmes & to know what initiatives to focus on - ours obviously! 

During the COVID 19 disruption we moved online. This is the first of our Munch & Learn sessions bringing the community together to discuss what opportunities are still available in the rail sector & how the start ups can respond to the new challenges.

Ben Craze talks to us about how a tech company goes about decanting to home working when they still develop physical products. How has his company pivoted to respond to the current situation?

We speak to Emily Kent from One Big Circle about how they are responding to support the railway though a period of staffing restrictions as part of the COVID 19 protection measures.

In this episode, Johannah gives her thoughts on last week's Rail Scotland Conference. Listening in, Liam is joined by friend of the podcast Deb Carson to hear about the conference's themes of climate resilience, passenger experience on an integrated railway and decarbonisation of the rolling stock - all within a cost efficient model. Plenty of opportunities for our most dynamic suppliers!

We hear from Deb Carson about the humorous side of video conferencing during the COVID 19 disruption!

It's March 2020 and we're all working from home due to the Covid-19 emergency. In this time of disruption we want to keep the future mobility & rail innovation community buzzing so we're recording 10 minute podcasts with people from across the innovation landscape. This intro will explain all! Each pod will ask a guest: 

• Who you are & what do you do?
• How are you impacted by current events?
• What are your challenges?
• Is there anything that your business can offer to help at the moment?
• What positives can you see coming out of this?

Johannah & Liam take to the rails to discuss their work with The Rail Innovation Group to launch the Start Up Rail programme to discover new start up suppliers from around the country who can support the future of rail. Start ups have the potential to help rail meet its ambitions to bring creativity, diversity & cross sector knowledge into supply chains. All events are listed at railinnovationgroup.com

This week we met were joined by Hayden Sutherland, Founder & Chair of Open Transport Initiative who was in London to attend the Transport Ticketing Global event. We discussed how the team had developed (& made open source!) the first Open Standards for Transport and Mobility account interoperability. Think Open Banking for mobility...