Rail Infrastructure Asset Management Summit (RIAMS) 2024

Global Railway Review were delighted to be invited to cover the Rail Infrastructure Asset Management Summit, held on 31^st January and 1^st February. The day kicked off with a panel, focusing on how rail operators might approach big data, how they could harness such data and how this might affect safety processes. Peter Boom, the Director of Rail Asset Management and Digitisation at Royal HaskoningDHV, chaired the panel (as well as Day 1) overseeing the contributions of Tim Flower (UK Account Director of KONUX UK LTD), Milind Joshi (Head of Asset Management Strategy and Planning at Network Rail), and Joao Rocha (Head of Asset Management and Maintenance at East West Railway), before fielding questions from an enthusiastic audience.

Dr Hannah Richta, from DB InfraGO, then delivered an informative presentation on how data in rail can be optimised for best use, instilling a message that would later characterise the whole summit – data is only useful when it can be shared. Global Railway Review were able to do a one-to-one interview with Dr Richta, asking what practices are involved in data transparency and how communicating such data includes defining its limitations. Look out for it on our website!

SNCF’s dynamic duo, Dr Claire Nicodeme and Stephane Callet, then presented their separate case studies: Stephane Callet chose to focus on the new space age technology that is shaping how operators could be utilised to digitalise the railway, using the example of how space tech, such as satellite observations, earth observation and GNNS-GPS, could be used in providing safety measures. While Dr Nicodeme explored the potential challenges of implementing BIM and GIS technologies to improve life cycle management, reliability, and safety in rail, it was their second talk (on day 2 of the conference) on how using visual data to train AI can aid those working in asset management, which sparked a lively Q and A: Can AI and humans work to together for optimal rail asset management? Look out for Global Railway Review’s in-depth Q and A with Stephane Callet to find out more.

Principal Engineer at Network Rail, Robert Ellison, and founder of One Big Circle, Sam Low, then gave a joint performance, looking at the role of machine learning in rail, and how this could create potential savings in performance, maintenance and renewals using the real-life example of One Big Circle’s technology and its implementation in Network Rail’s infrastructure; Ellison and Low gave a convincing case study.

Day 2, much like Day 1, kicked off with a panel discussion on predictive maintenance, how it differs from preventative maintenance, and the current procedures already in place in asset management. Peter Boom (Day 1’s chair) and Tim Flower (KONUX UK) were chaired by IBM World Sales Leader Claus Klint.

Claus Klint took over the role of chair for the day, introducing speakers who were both in person and joining virtually, such as Martijn van Noort who provided a fantastic insight into the importance of decision making in lifecycle management. Van Noort covered how costs can be reduced through differentiation on lines, the relationship between reliability, availability, health, safety, and environment, and how these can be considered in all decision-making processes. Look out for Global Railway Review’s post-event digital Q and A with Martijn!

Before a networking lunch, Rob Forde delivered a presentation on the groundbreaking capabilities of the soon-to-be opened GCRE site – the first of its kind in Europe! The size of Gibraltar, or Disneyland Paris (attendees were able to choose their point of comparison), the new site will allow operators to experiment and test different track conditions – a veritable playground for engineers. Global Railway Review will be visiting in May – watch this space!

The Railway Infrastructure Asset Management Summit 2024 was a fantastic opportunity to not only make new connections with those in the rail industry, but also expand and discuss the current trends and methods the sector is implementing. The key message of the summit was the idea of sharing – sharing methods, sharing data, and sharing ideas. For 2025, RIAMS is a must-attend event.