Railway Infrastructure Asset Management Summit 2024 – countdown!

Global Railway Review is delighted to be partnered with METIS Conferences and will be attending and covering the Rail Infrastructure Asset Management Summit (RIAMS). The event will be held on the 31st of January and 1^st February near Canary Wharf, London, with an overall focus of how the industry might harness technology. “How might the rail sector leverage the latest developments in AI? How can the industry respond to and benefit from machine learning?” and “How can assets be mathematically optimised?” will all be addressed at the conference, making it a must-attend for all those in the railway industry.

Day 1

The first day of the conference launches with numerous exciting topics. Starting the day is a talk examining the current approaches to data optimisation in the rail industry, while also looking at how a more holistic approach might be beneficial. To consider the benefits of digitalisation, the conference will also look at the gaps that are currently facing industry. This will then develop into a discussion on data transparency, covering the storage and uses of data in rail, while also exploring the limitations of such data. A must-watch for all in the industry.

Speakers for the morning include Jude Carey, Head of Asset Management at Irish Rail, Tim Flower, UK Account Director, KONUX UK LTD, Hannah Richta, Head of Algorithms for Operations at DB Netz AG, and Milind Joshi, Head of Asset Management Strategy and Planning at Network Rail, plus many more.

SNCF’s Stéphane Callet, the Head of on-board CCS related innovative projects like TECH4RAIL, will be the star of the fireside chat, a deep dive into how the rail sector can adapt their existing infrastructure systems to empower the digitalisation process. With the topic of digitalisation, no stone will remain unturned: Dylan Edwards, Senior Programme Manager at Network Rail, will be focusing on the safety aspects of digitalisation, how such measures can reduce accidents and errors.

The second part of the day, after a comprehensive networking lunch, takes a slightly different approach; what are the benefits of investing in digital systems to improve overall efficiency in rail operations? The owner of GeoNext B.V, Nico Schaefers, is starting the afternoon with an in-depth focus on the uses of BIM and the possible challenges it creates in the consulting and planning stages of construction.

Panel presentations from Urmas Alber, the AIM Team Leader, RB Rail Baltica AS, and Claire Nicodeme, the Engineer, and Project Manager at SNCF, will continue with this theme, acknowledging the importance of Digital Twins in rail planning, and how this foresight can be leveraged to increase the visibility of track conditions. The afternoon will conclude with several panel discussions surrounding the new world of AI, which, post 2023’s AI summit held at Bletchley Park, will examine the possible uses for AI in the world of rail, addressing what the introduction of such technology would mean for operational performance as well as the necessary security precautions which will have to be considered. Speakers for the second half of the first day include Robert Lacey, Network Technical Head for Track at Network Rail, and Rob Forde, the Director of Strategy and Skills at GCRE, adding to the array of different speakers, all with their own expertise, who will be present at RIAMS 2024.

Day 2

The second day of the Railway Infrastructure Asset Management Summit starts off with a panel discussion on the topic of ‘Next Generation ERP Systems for Rail Operations, Enhancing Predictive Maintenance Capabilities within Asset Management Systems.’ The discussion will delve into current predictive maintenance capabilities, including reinforced, supervised, and unsupervised learning, before looking at the changing landscape of enterprise asset management systems. Jude Carey, Head of Asset Management at Irish Rail, Claus Klint, Worldwide Industry Sales Leader in Civil Infrastructure at IBM, and Tim Flower, UK Account Director, KONUX UK Ltd, will be the panellists.

Rob Forde once again will take the helm for his talk on Digital Twins. While previous angles have included safety predictions and planning, Forde will focus on the benefits of bringing together asset management, geospatial data, linear views, and real time data feeds, enhancing collaboration between railway departments and stakeholders.

A half hour case study then follows in the day’s lineup as attendees will hear about OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) which will explore the transformation from traditional mechanical approaches to the digital era, incorporating software solutions. A short networking break of equal time will then follow.

Jez Smith, Rail Data Marketplace Lead at Rail Delivery Group, will then lead a talk called ‘Harnessing Predictive Maintenance for Enhanced Rail Operations: Unifying Data and Vision, Understanding the Cultural Shift Required to Embrace Predictive Maintenance and Instill Confidence in Machine Learning Technologies.’

Data and AI will then return to the day’s focus as SNCF’s Engineer and Research Project Manager, Claire Nicodeme, will look at how predictive maintenance could be adapted by the newest developments in artificial intelligence and data management.

Before a networking lunch, attendees will be able to hear from Paul Kootwijk from ProRail and Marco Corradini at SBB CFF FFS, on topics such as how infrastructure owners are advancing root cause analysis techniques to identify the underlying reasons for assets failing (Kootwijk) and highlighting the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to achieve an integrated perspective on asset performance and system safety (Corradini).

After the break, and a morning of individual deep dives into the rail industry, an audience group discussion on achieving sustainable rail asset management through standardisation and holistic strategies, optimising approaches to metrics, reporting and material management in rail operations, guaranteed to get all attendees involved.

The final individual talk will be delivered by Kristijan Apostolski, EMEA Reliability and Asset Management Manager, JLL Work Dynamics, focusing on how rail organisations are measuring their asset management maturity to ensure profitable operations, benchmarking for continuous improvement in rail. Apostolski hopes to go beyond traditional metrics and benchmarks in their speech, using a holistic approach, considering maturity and sustainability in global practices.

Day 2 and the conference concludes with a final panel discussion, ‘Balancing Asset Renewals, Refurbishments, and Maintenance to Determine Allocation of Resources for Optimal Rail Infrastructure Performance; What Tools and Methods are Owners Using to Accurately Forecast for Budget Allocations?’ rounding off a full day of invaluable insights.

The Railway Infrastructure Asset Management Summit (RIAMS) 2024 is a must-attend for all of those in the rail and transport sector. The two days of events promise numerous talks on the most present topics, including the new technological advancements in AI and data management. The individuals leading the discussions, working at numerous companies, will all provide their own unique insight and expertise, invaluable to the rail industry.