Trinity College, Dublin, 23 May 2024
In partnership with Iarnród Éireann/ Irish Rail and Translink

It is many years since the PWI held an all-day technical seminar in Ireland. Given the recent rail resurgence across Ireland, we were presented with the perfect opportunity to formulate a plan to deliver a seminar. 

A small working group comprising of members of the PWI, Iarnród Éireann /Irish Rail and Translink, was established in late summer of 2023 to start discussions on the art of the possible. Several conversations later, we concluded there was a lot of material to share, and the difficulty lay in choosing a suitable range that would appeal to a broad audience. We felt it was essential to look at the overall strategy and the ambitious plans for the future whilst giving equal recognition to current methods of working that ensure a reliable service today. We also wanted to include specific elements on investment in people; without good people nothing will be achieved.

The Dargan Theatre at Trinity College, Dublin, was chosen as the venue and delivered against all our requirements. The space was ample for delegates and exhibitors, the food and refreshments were plentiful, and the staff were very supportive. The Audio-Visual technical support team were also excellent.

MORNING SESSION

Steven Bell, PWI President, chaired the morning session and began by welcoming all the delegates and speakers. The presentations in the morning covered the following subjects:

• Keynote address entitled ‘All Island Strategic Rail Review’ given by Andrew Ebrill, Head of Public Transport Investment and Policy, Department of Transport Ireland. This paper set the scene on the level of ambition throughout Ireland for improvements and expansion of the rail network.

• The subsequent two presentations focused on key projects that form part of the overall strategy. The first was a look at the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme given by AJ Cronin, Delivery Manager for the Programme, Iarnród Éireann /Irish Rail. The subject of the second paper was Belfast Grand Central Station & Weaver’s Cross, given by Duncan McAlister, Head of Belfast Grand Central Station & Weaver’s Cross Programmes, Translink.

• The remainder of the morning’s presentations brought us back to day-to-day asset management and delivery, ensuring the service remains reliable for current users. Denis Hickey, Programme Manager of the Track Delivery Unit of Iarnród Éireann /Irish Rail, spoke about advancements in track renewals techniques, including the approach to higher line speed opening. This was followed by a presentation by Andrew McGivern, Track Engineering Manager, and Stephen Lavery, Technical Engineer from Translink, who talked about improvements in track condition assessment to inform decision-making. The presentation described the methods and tools that Translink has developed to manage the track asset.

The various presenters of the morning session responded to multiple questions from the audience.

AFTERNOON SESSION

Chair of the afternoon session was Eamonn Balance, Director Infrastructure Manager at Iarnród Éireann /Irish Rail, who was delighted to be present and contribute to the discussion. The first two presentations of the afternoon took a different tack from those before lunch in that they were focused on people and the investment both Translink and Iarnród Éireann /Irish Rail are making in their staff Members.

Mervyn McCollum, Head of Rail Infrastructure for Translink, led a discussion panel focusing on the approach the Translink team have taken in developing apprentices. Mervyn was joined by colleagues Wilma Kirkpatrick, Training and Competence Manager and Neil Mulholland, an experienced trainer within Translink, along with two apprentices, Matthew Cummings and Danny McGinley. The conversation covered the realisation of addressing the skills shortage, how the scheme was developed to meet this challenge and its implementation phase. The two apprentices also gave their views on what the scheme meant to them.

Iarnród Éireann /Irish Rail’s Head of Talent Development, Suzanne Flynn, then gave a comprehensive presentation on the graduate development scheme across all disciplines required to run an operational railway—from engineers to finance specialists. Over the last few years, this scheme has been in high demand amongst the graduate population and has gone from strength to strength, with the numbers increasing annually.

The penultimate presentation of the day brought us back to more technical aspects. Tony Knipe, Track Maintenance Manager for Translink and Bob Hardwell, Rail Engineering Expert with LINMAG International Ltd, talked about the importance and usefulness of rail milling as another tool in the armoury to help with asset management. Michael Reidy, Head of Strategic Planning and Sustainability in Iarnród Éireann/Irish Rail, concluded the day’s presentations by looking at the initiatives Iarnród Eireann/Irish Rail have taken and are putting in place to give due consideration to sustainability, helping to meet the net zero commitment.

As with the morning sessions, the speakers were asked plenty of questions before Eamonn Balance gave the closing address.

The PWI can only run these events with the support of Corporate Members and others in the supply chain. For this Seminar, we extend our thanks to our sponsors—Babcock, SPL Powerlines, SICUT, RSRG, BAM Ireland, Pro Rail Ireland, Helix Rail, and Geobear—and our exhibitors, Aqua Fabrications, Konux, and Fugro. 

We would also like to recognise the efforts of Cathal Mangan and Joe Walsh of Iarnród Éireann /Irish Rail and Mervyn McCollum and Andrew McGivern of Translink, who sourced the speakers. The demand for tickets to this Seminar exceeded our expectations, and we apologise to anyone unable to secure a space. Next time, we will seek a larger venue.

All the presentations from the Seminar are available on the PWI’s Knowledge Hub.