Ahead of our Ireland Seminar later this month, we caught up with Shubhangi Singh, Senior Climate Adaptation & Environmental Engineer at Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail, to find out more about her career, her role and what she’ll be sharing with us at Trinity College Dublin. 

How did you start your career in the rail industry? 

“I started in Irish Rail as a Graduate Environmental Engineer.” 

Tell us a little about your career experiences to date. 

“Over four years at Irish Rail, I’ve spearheaded climate adaptation strategies and managed our ISO 14001 compliance and auditing processes across maintenance operations. I take pride in embedding sustainability into daily rail infrastructure practices, from Scope 3 contractor emissions tracking to circular economy and waste management initiatives.” 

What does an average day look like for you? 

“An average day for me is a dynamic mix of operational compliance and long-term climate resilience planning across our railway infrastructure. On the compliance side, I might spend part of my day conducting or preparing for ISO 14001 audits, reviewing environmental registers, or overseeing waste management and sustainability initiatives alongside internal teams and contractors. 

The rest of my day is dedicated to our climate adaptation domain. This involves translating desktop risk assessments and future climate scenarios into future plans, liaising with local authorities and statutory bodies, or evaluating how recent severe weather impacts our network maintenance practices. It is a constantly evolving role that keeps me closely connected to both ground-level engineering operations and strategic environmental protection.” 

Why did you want to present at a RailEI technical seminar? 

“Presenting at the RailEI technical seminar provides a valuable opportunity to share insights into how Irish Rail translates high-level climate policy into concrete, operational reality on our network. My presentation, “Beyond the Strategy,” connects national frameworks and our internal adaptation strategy directly to live operations, using real-world incident reports from recent storms and highlighting our East Coast protection programme (ECRIPP) as proof of adaptation being actively designed, funded, and delivered. By sharing this end-to-end journey approach from policy to network resilience, I aim to offer industry peers practical insights into our plans for what climate adaptation will truly look like on the ground for Irish Rail in future.” 

What’s the best bit of advice you have for someone looking to work in the rail industry? 

“The best advice for breaking into the rail industry is to commit to continuous learning and actively build your network. Because rail is rapidly evolving with new technologies, standards and practices, staying curious and continuously upskilling keeps you ahead of industry shifts. Equally important is networking: engage with technical seminars, professional bodies like RailEI, and cross-functional teams. Connecting with peers and experts not only exposes you to real-world operational insights but also opens doors to collaborative opportunities across the sector.” 

What are some of the biggest challenges of your current role? 

“The biggest challenges in my role centre on translating high-level climate strategies and ISO 14001 standards into practical daily maintenance across a complex rail network. This requires balancing proactive long-term climate resilience planning with immediate operational responses to severe weather events. Additionally, aligning diverse stakeholders, from internal teams to local authorities, and standardising environmental and ESG data across future climate scenarios present ongoing coordination and technical hurdles.” 

What do you enjoy most about your current role? 

“What I love most about my role is the dynamic interplay between ISO 14001 auditing, EMS maintenance and pioneering climate adaptation for our railway infrastructure. Auditing gives me deep, hands-on insight into our operations, allowing me to uncover continuous improvement opportunities and ensure our environmental standards are truly being practised on the ground. At the same time, leading in the climate adaptation space is incredibly rewarding; there is a real sense of purpose in analysing severe weather risks, designing future plans of action and knowing that the work I do today directly protects our transport network and communities for future generations. Bringing those two worlds together, ensuring operational rigour while driving real-world climate action, is what truly motivates me every single day.” 

Shubhangi will be speaking at Railways in Ireland: Building Resilience in Railway Systems and Infrastructure on Thursday, 29 October at Trinity College Dublin. 

Her presentation will explore how climate adaptation moves beyond policy and into practice, bringing together national guidance, Iarnród Éireann’s own strategy and real-life projects.  

Find out more about the Seminar and book your place: https://www.railei.org/whats-on/building-resilience-railway-systems-infrastructure/