Rail Live, the UK’s largest outdoor rail event, returned to Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre (LMIRC) on 19-20 June. With almost 300 exhibitors on site, more than 7,000 visitors attended the two-day exhibition, eager to cast their eyes on the most up-to-date equipment and hear the latest from industry experts.
Rail Live is aways a huge occasion – the vast space of the LMRIC packed full of plant, equipment, and vehicles of all shape and sizes. Despite taking place over two days, it’s difficult to pack everything in, but wearing a child’s-size high-vis jacket he’d mistakenly picked up at the entrance, this writer attempted to make the most of it.
Exploring the site
With every step taken across the bustling showground there was something new to catch the eye. From industry giants to smaller specialist firms, exhibitors from across the sector came out in force, showcasing their latest innovations and solutions.
Hitachi Rail’s stand showcased how the company is enabling a more resilient and efficient railway by developing axle counter architecture to reduce service disruption, improve asset performance, and simplify maintenance.
Visitors to Hitachi’s stand could discover its latest innovations in trackside and on-board technology, learn how it is delivering AI-enabled safety, and explore its collaborative solutions to improving passenger experience and network efficiency.
Siemens Mobility combined the digital world with the real world, giving a real sense of what it could do across all of the railway’s systems. It showcased its Connected Drivers Advisory System along with its Adaptive ETCS and used the opportunity to launch its new Rail Charging Converter (RCC), which has been in development for several months at LMRIC.
Special guests at the launch included Catherine Atkinson MP, Rob Morris, joint-CEO for Siemens Mobility UK, and Mary Grant, CEO at Porterbrook. Siemens claims the RCC can be installed at locations in as little as 18 months and connected to the local power grid.
Regular attendees to Rail Live may have spotted an updated layout, reflecting Porterbrook’s ongoing investment in the LMRIC – notably the construction of a new 3.5km electrified test loop.
Visitors to Porterbrook’s marquee were able to experience the transformation for themselves through virtual reality (VR), stepping into a simulated cab to get a driver’s view of what it will be like to operate trains on the UK’s only continuous test track.
Porterbrook Chief Operating Officer Ben Ackroyd outlined how Long Marston is set to become a key asset in supporting the rollout of future rolling stock and explained how environmental enhancement is also part of the company’s plans.
The environment and sustainability were also major themes for British Steel which was eager to discuss how it is helping customers meet their environmental targets. The firm demonstrated products including Zinoco, a zinc-rich alloy which extends the life of the rail in corrosive conditions. Also on display were British Steel’s recyclable steel sleepers which, the company says, improve track stability and benefit from a stackable, lightweight design.
Sticking to the eco-friendly theme, Network Rail had a dedicated stand at Rail Live’s Sustainability Zone and attendees could explore this aspect of its work on a guided biodiversity walk led by Dr Neil Strong, Network Rail’s biodiversity strategy manager.
Network Rail’s presence was split across the site. Its ‘On-Track’ Village featured one of its Mobile Maintenance Trains (MMT – discussed later) and a mobile wind turbine, along with displays from teams involved in track renewals and rail freight. The area also highlighted Network Rail’s ‘Getting Everyone Home Safe Every Day’ initiative and displayed a selection of its electric road vehicles.
The organisation’s ‘Off-Track’ stand hosted teams from various departments of the organisation including Commercial & Procurement, Product Acceptance, Standards Management, Electrical Safety Delivery, Possession Optimisation, and more. The site also included engineering innovations such as bespoke air surveying equipment, as well as the team behind the pioneering Lift in a Box.
Laing O’Rourke, Network Rail’s partner in this project, was keen to show off these modular, prefabricated lift shafts, doing so using VR technology. The structure is designed for use with multiple footbridges, bringing accessibility options to almost any station. Standing at just over 10 metres, it contains a Kone Monospace 700 lift and can be delivered to site on the trailer bed of a delivery vehicle.
The modular lift is being utilised as part of Network Rail’s Access for All programme which aims to provide accessible routes to and between platforms to disabled passengers and those with mobility restrictions. It was recently installed at the Network Rail test track in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, where it was removed from the trailer bed of the delivery vehicle and installed fully upright in 26 minutes.
Attendees waiting to try out the Laing O’Rourke’s VR experience could while away the time putting balls on the company’s miniature crazy golf course, a feature which proved almost as popular as its main attraction.
Just like last year, the 2025 event was blessed with very good weather. Thankfully, this year your writer had remembered to pack the suncream, though he had forgotten a sun hat and one was generously provided by the kind staff manning the SPL Powerlines stand.
The SPL team was on hand to discuss its services and showcase a selection of cutting-edge plant and technology, including the Zeck Wiring Unit it recently used on the East Kilbride Enhancement project, as reported in Issue 214 (May-June 2025).
Rolling stock
2025 didn’t disappoint when it came to rolling stock, with the usual assortment of locomotives old and new on display. Visitors were welcomed to the event by the sight of the ‘Standard Shunting Tank Locomotive’ No. 47383, now under the care of Severn Valley Railway (SVR).
Entering service in October 1926 with London Midland and Scottish Railway, No. 47383 was one of a number of such engines used on shunting duties and to transfer freight trains to many parts of London. The engines were also used to power suburban passenger trains from Broad Street terminus to the ‘Northern Heights’.
Withdrawn from service in late 1966, British Railways allocated the locomotive to Westhouses depot, where it was a spare engine for four other ‘Jinties’, soldiering on through the summer of 1967. It last steamed in 2002 and was placed on display at SVR’s Engine House from 2008 until 2024, when it was put into store at Kidderminster.
Standing proudly on a flatbed trailer, close to the exhibition’s entrance, No. 47383 served as a reminder of the rail industry’s proud heritage – a fitting tribute in Rail’s 200th anniversary year. It was brought to the site by heavy haulage specialist Allelys.
A Class 93 tri-mode locomotive (93007) was also on display, courtesy of Rail Operations Group and Stadler. Constructed in Spain, the Class 93 can run off the 25kV AC overhead system, rated at 5,360hp. It also has a 12-cylinder Caterpillar C32 diesel engine, rated at 1,205hp, and two LTO (lithium titanium- oxide) batteries.
Last year’s event was marked by the appearance of 93001 which undertook its first main line solo run on 28 May 2024 and saw further testing throughout July on the West Coast Main Line between Crewe and Carlisle. With the results of that testing analysed 93002-010 are now being shipped to the UK to allow Rail Operations Group driver training.
Once again, visitors were welcomed aboard one of Network Rail’s Mobile Maintenance Trains (MMT), mentioned earlier. The vehicle provides a ‘workshop on wheels’ for engineers and track workers.
Each Robel-built MMT functions as a self-contained engineering hub. Onboard is a fully equipped workshop, twin two-tonne cranes, multiple power outlets, and a comprehensive inventory of tools and materials – plus welfare facilities, including a kitchen and toilet.
Its defining feature is a spacious, extendable work platform that lowers to track level, creating a sheltered, floodlit environment protected from passing trains. Within this secure workspace, engineers can carry out both static and rolling repairs with minimal disruption to services. It’s only when stepping inside one of these units that the full ingenuity of the design becomes clear.
Also making a return in 2025 was Porterbrook’s HydroFLEX – the UK’s first hydrogen-powered train designed for the mainline. Built and tested at the LMRIC, the project began in 2018 with a Class 319 train converted to run on hydrogen and battery power. The original HydroFLEX train was developed in partnership with the University of Birmingham, with grant funding from Innovate UK.
The train carries up to 277kg of hydrogen in 36 high-pressure tanks. This is fed into fuel cells, which generate electricity by combining hydrogen with oxygen from the air. In recent years, the innovative unit has notched up several key milestones, including reaching speeds of over 90mph during mainline testing and successfully climbing Lickey Incline – the steepest gradient on the UK network. It also became the first British train to travel through a tunnel using only hydrogen power.
In 2025, Hydro-Flex boasted a brand-new livery to celebrate Railway 200 and visitors onboard heard from the Porterbrook team who have worked on the development and testing of the train.
Food for thought
This year, Rail Live boasted three stages for discussion and engagement: the Policy & Leadership Theatre; the Engineering Theatre; and the Safety Theatre.
The Policy & Leadership Theatre covered themes including the priorities of the government, the future of open access, accessibility, and freight operations.
Among the discussions on day one, the opening session, chaired by Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain, specification manager at Transport for the North, focussed on how the railway is attracting a young and diverse workforce in the face of the skills crisis, and was targeted at business leaders across the industry.
Isabella Lawson, Wales & Western manager at RIA, then led a panel on how Wales, Scotland and the English regions will fit into the new centralised system led by Great British Railways and how they will deliver their strategies.
In the afternoon, Lucy Prior MBE, strategic growth director at The Mental Wealth Company, chaired a debate on the trade off between cost and sustainability, asking how track and vehicle build can be designed and delivered as sustainably as possible.
The first day’s proceedings were closed by a discussion with Alex Hynes, director general of Rail Services at the Department for Transport, about what GBR could learn from the partnership, cooperation and operation of the ScotRail Alliance.
On day two, Dickon Ross, editor of Rail Magazine chatted with Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines about rail reform and how the long-term future of the railway can be secured, as well as opportunities for growth and success. Lord Peter Hendy then talked about the role of government in creating a sustainable future for the network.
In the afternoon, talk turned to the subject of freight operations, which are often overlooked despite the desperate need to expand the volume of goods moved by rail. Closing the theatre’s line-up, Daisy Chapman-Chamberlain returned to ask an expert panel how (and if) the industry is meeting the needs of disabled passengers and what GBR will mean for the delivery of an accessible railway.
The Engineering Theatre provided insights into rolling stock strategy, electrification, climate resilience, ageing infrastructure, and more.
Beginning the sessions on day one, engineer and writer Gareth Dennis chaired the first panel which examined the need for a rolling stock strategy. The panel asked how we prepare for an uncertain future regarding train control & ETCS, how future fleets can enable level boarding, and what a cohesive rolling strategy might look like.
The next panel looked at the alternative options to electrification, examining their benefits and pitfalls, and asking whether they provide a better long-term option than conventional electrification.
In the afternoon, in consideration of the Carmont disaster, Mona Sihota, head of drainage at Network Rail explained how the industry manages water as rainfall increases the pressure on drainage systems and earthworks. Day one was closed by a discussion on how to overcome the challenges of retaining diverse talent and how to build the teams of the future.
Day two kicked off with an examination of the current rollout of ETCS. It explored the complexities and challenges of delivering Digital Railway technologies, and its successes and challenges to date.
Later in the day, the issue of machine learning and fault detection was discussed, along with a deep dive into how resilience against extreme weather events is being handled. The panel considered whether the industry is striking the right balance between prevention and protection, and how the supply chain can accelerate resilience.
The Safety Theatre offered a similarly packed itinerary, exploring key topics shaping the future of rail safety, technology, and regulation.
Opened by Simon Higgins MBE, chair of the Rail Safety Steering Group, day one featured two sessions – the first focusing on human / plant interfaces and behaviour. This included discussions on lift truck training and digital enhancements in the people / plant interface. Organisations represented included Balfour Beatty, Story Plant, Finning UK, and the UK Materials Handling Association.
Session two focussed on occupational and mental health, including talks on psychological safety in the supply chain, non-invasive workforce drug testing, and the British Transport Police’s (BTP) approach to suicide prevention and intervention. Guest speakers included Railway Mission Executive Director Liam Johnstone, Lisa Regan, risk and safety intelligence analyst at RSSB, and Christopher Sutherland, Inspector, Public Protection & Vulnerability at BTP.
Day two at the Safety Theatre was dedicated to Keeping Customers and Neighbours safe. Richard Hines, HM Chief Inspector of Railways gave his perspective on delivering a healthier and safer railway before Stephen Goss from Campaign for Better Transport highlighted the importance of accessibility for passengers.
RSSB’s Charlotte Sweet discussed how the industry is working to prevent trespass and suicide, handing over to West Midlands Train’s Jamie Ainsworth, who explained what the operator is doing to tackle antisocial behaviour on its network. The day concluded with a conversation featuring Andrew Hall, chief inspector of rail accidents at the RAIB.
Summing up
As in previous years, Rail Live 2025 proved to be an expansive and engaging event, successfully showcasing the best the rail industry has to offer.
With so much to see, spread across such a vast site, it’s difficult to capture the true scale of the exhibition, but hopefully we’ve provided a comprehensive snapshot in these pages.
Looking ahead, work is already underway to make Rail Live 2026 a similarly successful event. Scheduled for 17-18 June 2026, the next instalment is sure to excite, inspire, and educate.
