Railfuture now holds one major national conference each year, in late summer/early autumn (in addition to its AGM for members). We aim only to cover our costs. The conferences are competitively priced, to be within rail users' price range, and are open to everyone. Railfuture members are usually offered a chance to attend at a discounted rate. We also produce free-to-attend Webinars.
Speakers come from a variety of backgrounds. Some of the organisations who have spoken at conferences and webinars include Anglia Railways, Arriva Cross Country, Arriva Trains Wales, Association of Train Operating Companies, Cardiff International Airport, Centro, Chester-le-Track, Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry Trains, Delta Rail, East Coast, East Midlands Trains, East West Rail Consortium, Eurostar, First Capital Connect, First Great Western, First Transpennine Express, Furrer + Frey GB, Grand Central, Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT), Great Western Railway, Greater Anglia, Heathrow Southern Railway, Hitachi Rail Europe, HS2, London Midland, London Overground Railway Operations, Merseytravel, MyTestTrack.com, Network Rail, Northern Rail, Northern (Arriva Rail North), Nottingham Express Transit, Parry People Movers, Port Of Sunderland, Rail Delivery Group, RSSB, ScotRail Alliance, SLC Rail, Southeastern, South West Trains, Thameslink and Great Northern, Transpennine Express, TramPower, Transport for Wales Rail, Transport Salaried Staffs' Association, UK Rail Leasing, Virgin Trains, Virgin Trains East Coast, Vivarail and West Midlands Trains.
Click HERE to see a list events and speakers for each organisation.
To follow Railfuture's conferences and webinars on Twitter use the hash-tag shown against the event.
Note: this hash-tag is not exclusive to Railfuture.
Future Events
Click HERE For a list of rail-related events including free-to-attend Railfuture branch meetings
2022/Leeds - RAILFUTURE ANNUAL CONFERENCE [link]
- Thu 15/09/2022 Turning Point for the Railways [Why Attend?]
- 'What do we want the railways to look like in the future?'
- 33 days until conference — early bird ends in 18 days
- Social media hashtag (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram) for this event: #rfconference
- Timings: 09.15-10.15 Arrivals - tea/coffee/pastries; 10.15-12.45 Morning session; 12.45-13.45 Lunch; 13.45-16.30 Afternoon session to include a workshop for all attendees
- Speakers: [Read Speaker Biographies]
- Nick Flynn
and Abby Taylor
- Stewart Palmer, Vice President and Director, Railfuture
(talking about: Railfuture's view on whether the railway is working for passengers)
- Stewart was previously Managing Director of South West Trains
- Karen Bennett (talking about: How young people can be engaged in the railways)
- Phil Smart, Assistant Policy Manager, Rail Freight Group
- Phil is also Councillor at Ipswich Borough Council with a strong knowledge of transport matters
- Anna-Jane Hunter, Partner, Winder Phillips Associates, Women in Rail
- Dr Manuel Ofeda Cabral, Senior Research Fellow in Transport Economics and Appraisal, University of Leeds (talking about: The value of new railway lines and stations)
- Alison Smith, Head of Accessibility and Inclusion, Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT)
(talking about: Keynote Listener and update on GBRTT) - Conference Chair: Brian Barnsley
- Venue: St George's Centre
- This venue is modern, attractive and the air-conditioned room chosen is designed to hold large conferences
- Room: The Hemming Suite
- This large meeting room can accommodate up 150 delegates depending on layout; Railfuture has chosen a cabaret layout which handles 120 people
- 60 Great George Street, Leeds
- Postcode: LS1 3DL
- Phone: 0113 383 2140
- Enquiries about the conference: please email conferences at railfuture.org.uk.
- Places for this conference are still available. Please book by Tue 13/09/2022
- The 'Early Bird' discount offer is still open but will end on Wed 31/08/2022.
- Prices for the Railfuture Annual Conference in Leeds: [book]
- £45.00 - Early bird (members only)
- £50.00 - General Admission
- £35.00 - Student
- Includes: Lunch and refreshments will be provided
- Click [Download] or [Display] for the poster (one-page) if you are to able to display it on a notice board in the local area (PDF format)
Additional Railfuture National Conferences - Dates for your diary
- Sat 15/07/2023 - Details to be confirmed (AGM)
Book Your Conference Place Now
Bookings should be made online. However, if this is not possible please send your details and a cheque to the 'All other correspondence' address (not the registered office address) shown on this page.
(MEDIA: For a free 'press pass' please contact Bruce Williamson by e-mailing media at railfuture.org.uk or phone on 07759 557389).
Please mention any additional requirements or information by email (see 'enquiries' above) after receiving your booking acknowledgement.
Terms and Conditions
Before booking please make sure that you have read the Railfuture conference terms and conditions (PDF format).
Selected past event
2018/Reading [link]
- Sat 10/11/2018 Rail driving growth in the Thames Valley
- Plus presentation of 2018 Rail User Group Awards. Railfuture Vice-President Stewart Palmer will make the RUG Award presentations
Photos above show: (left) opening of the rebuilt Reading station and (right) permanent track installed between Stepney Green and Pudding Mill Lane for Crossrail, which is one of the topics of the conference
- Richard Stow, chair of Railfuture Thames Valley branch said:
"Reading's the focus of British transport investment right now, with electrification, new trains, and much more to come.
"Our speakers have given up their time to give us a glimpse of the future. They'll give us updates on Crossrail to the heart of London, and Reading's new 24-minute service to the heart of Heathrow, as well as progress on new stations, including Green Park, and the exciting scheme to connect Heathrow to Surrey and the South West.
"This conference promises one of the best ever line-ups of speakers, so if you are interested in global warming, the environment, transport, or just want to know why Reading is so successful, please come along, you don't need to be an expert." - Hosted by Railfuture Thames Valley branch
- It was held at Hotel Novotel Reading Centre
- Further Info: Click [Download] or [Display] for the AGM notice and agenda, including map (PDF format)
- Read a [Press Release] ("Guest speakers - why you should attend") about the conference.
- Read a [Press Release] ("RUG Award winners") about the conference.
- Howard Smith, Operations Director, Crossrail, Transport for London (Crossrail) (talked about: An insight into Crossrail and its forthcoming launch) - click [Download] or [Display] for the speaker's slides (PDF format)
- Anna Holbrook, Sponsor for Western Rail Link to Heathrow, Network Rail (talked about: Western rail access to Heathrow Airport project) - click [Download] or [Display] for the speaker's slides (PDF format)
- Jill Poyton, Sponsor of Great Western Electrification, Network Rail (talked about: Electrification on the Great Western) - click [Download] or [Display] for the speaker's slides (PDF format)
- Cllr Tony Page, Reading Borough Council (talked about: Reading Transport and Integration)
- Ian Walters, Managing Director, SLC Rail
- Graham Cross, Chief Executive, Heathrow Southern Railway
CONFERENCE MATERIALS:
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS (AND THEIR PRESENTATIONS):
Past events for each year
Up to three national events are held each year. Click on the location to see the details.
Click HERE to see a full list of past events. Looking for something else? Check the LIBRARY