Beyond the Rails - Events

Join leading industry experts for a series of essential conversations and events celebrating 200 years of the opening of Stockton & Darlington Railway—the world’s first modern railway. 

Navigating three key themes of people, place and performance, our 2025 events programme includes a dynamic series of panel discussions, live conversations and roundtables covering: 

• Customer focus: Improving passenger experiences for all. 

• Financial sustainability: Adapting growth strategies, enhancing affordability and safeguarding the future. 

• Devolution in a national network: Redefining how the railway works for a more agile and responsive rail network. 

• Decarbonisation: Rail’s role in creating sustainable economies and communities. 

• High-speed rail: Learning from experiences across the globe to chart what happens next. 

• Entrepreneurism and innovation: Creating the space for creativity, action and investment. 

• Investment and private sector: Unlocking opportunities for public-private collaboration. 

• Equipping the industry:  Securing the insights, skills and culture to succeed and evolve. 

Meet the speakers 

Sir Andrew Haines, CEO, Network Rail

Andrew joined Network Rail in August 2018 and has since refocussed the organisation on being on the side of passengers and freight users; easy to engage with as an efficient and dependable partner; a company people are proud to work for; and be instinctively recognised as an industry leader. Prior to joining Network Rail, Andrew served as Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority from 2009. This followed a wide-ranging career in the rail industry, which included roles as Managing Director of South West Trains, and Managing Director of the Rail Division for First Group plc. Following the publication of the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail in May 2021, Andrew was also tasked with establishing interim arrangements for the creation of Great British Railways, alongside his role in Network Rail.

Shamit Weinberger Gaiger OBE, Managing Director, West Coast Partnership Development 

Shamit was appointed the Managing Director of WCPD in 2022. She has an extensive career in rail, having held roles at the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) and at National Skills Academy for Rail as well as leading the Rail Sector Deal on behalf of HM Government at the Department for Transport. She also is the Chair of Trustees at Campaign for Better Transport and President of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport’s (CILT) Railway Study Forum. Furthermore, Shamit sits as non-executive director of Women in Rail.

Tim Shoveller, CEO, Freightliner Group

Tim Shoveller became CEO of Freightliner Group in August 2023. Tim was previously Managing Director of Network Rail’s North West and Central Region. He started this role in June 2019 after moving from Stagecoach, where he was MD of the rail division and prior to this MD of South West Trains where he led the development of the Alliance working with Network Rail. Earlier in his career, Tim was MD at East Midlands Trains from the start of the franchise in 2007. Earlier career highlights include senior roles at Virgin Trains and Eurostar. Tim has over 30 years’ experience in the rail industry, initially joining British Rail as a Guard at Guildford. He is Chairman of the Railway Benefit Fund charity, which supports current and former employees and their families. Tim is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Railway Operators.

James Bain, CEO, Worldline UK & Ireland

James started his career with Virgin Trains in 1999, where he implemented the UK’s first on board EPOS system. James moved through various roles, including Revenue Management and Commercial bid planning. In 2007, James moved to Arriva Cross Country where he was Director of Revenue, with responsibility for all pricing, revenue management, demand forecasting and ticket retailing. In 2010, James founded redspottedhanky.com to retail train tickets online, before moving to work for Atos Origin. In 2012, Worldline was carved out of Atos where James lead the UK separation. 

Richard Harper, Head of Rail Advisory, Steer 

Richard is a respected industry leader with over 30 years’ experience driving change through collaboration. He specialises in developing, contracting, and delivering complex rail projects, unlocking solutions through strong communication and negotiation. Before joining Steer, he spent 17 years with train operators and TOC owning groups, gaining extensive rail bidding experience. Notably, he led timetable and rolling stock teams for successful Northern and London Overground bids and played a key role in Chiltern Railways’ Evergreen enhancements, including the Oxford line.

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About the event

Railways across the globe have been heavily influenced by entrepreneurs and evolved with important innovations.  

So, how does Britain best continue to grow and secure the entrepreneurial spirt and space to innovate? How should the Government grow its collaboration with the private sector to foster creativity, investment, and a thriving economy? And what about elsewhere in the world? 

In front of a live audience, our panel of rail industry heavyweights will cover: 

• Innovation: The railway advancements that are shaping the future through creativity and investment 
• Government and private sector collaboration: How policies, partnerships, and funding models are unlocking innovation and economic growth 
• Learning from history: Which successful technological advancements and entrepreneurial ventures have had the biggest impact on the sector?  

Who should attend: 

• Rail industry leaders and innovators: Professionals driving change in railway technology, operations, and business development. 

• Entrepreneurs and investors: Startups, venture capitalists, and private sector leaders looking to collaborate and invest in railway innovation. 

• Government and policymakers: Officials shaping transport policy and public-private partnerships to support economic growth. 

• Academics and researchers: Experts in transport, engineering, and innovation keen to explore emerging trends and opportunities in rail. 

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Passengers' needs and expectations are constantly evolving, and ensuring their satisfaction requires continuous engagement, robust data, and strong advocacy.

Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users, conducts in-depth research to identify pain points in the passenger experience and develop evidence-based solutions that influence policy and industry action.

In this essential conversation, we explored what needs to be done to influence decision-making to secure improvements and create better rail experiences for passengers, workers, and road users.

Key takeaways:

• Understanding passenger pain points – Passengers value reliability, affordability, and accessibility, but challenges remain in service consistency, ticketing complexity, and network capacity.
• The evolving policy landscape – Industry reforms, including potential shifts in rail governance and ticketing models, have significant implications for customer experience.
• Collaboration for change – Operators, policymakers, and advocacy groups must work together to drive improvements, ensuring the railway remains responsive to passenger needs.
• Trust and transparency – Passengers need clearer communication and greater transparency in decision-making to regain trust in the system.

Meet the speakers 

Alex Robertson, CEO, Transport Focus 

Alex joined Transport Focus in November 2023. He spent over five years at Transport for London early in his career working in policy and public affairs. After a brief spell in the voluntary sector, he moved to the Electoral Commission where he was Director of Communications and the Programme Director for the Scottish Referendum (2014) and EU Referendum (2016). Prior to joining Transport Focus, Alex was the Executive Director for Strategy and Operations with the Parliamentary Health Service Ombudsman and then Chief Operating Officer at the Pensions Ombudsman. 

Rubi Sarang, Principal Consultant, Steer 

Rubi is an experienced transport professional within Steer’s Rail Advisory team, specialising in project management and strategic planning. As team manager, she is responsible for resourcing and financial and commercial management. She brings extensive experience in digital transformation for government clients and has a strong background in commercial operations and strategic advisory.

Prior to joining Steer, Rubi spent over five years at HS2 Ltd., where she held multiple roles across three teams. Rubi managed the mobilisation of the West Coast Partnership Development contractor as a Shadow Operator and was responsible for managing the Rolling Stock contract for the 54 high-speed trains to be built for Phase 1, overseeing client readiness and contract mobilisation, the Concept Design Phase, and the Collaborative Design Process, which focused on creating a user-centric train interior.

Rubi is passionate about diversity and inclusion. She is also a STEM Ambassador, dedicated to improving social mobility and access to opportunities in the transport industry.