Debbie Francis, Direct Rail Services, joins us in the RTM Podcast room to discuss the rail industry from a freight perspective. Debbie is a rail fanatic, leading the way in a male dominated area of the rail industry. 

With hosts Matt Roberts and Ailsa Cowen, the conversation flowed from Debbie’s involvement in the NHS, coming out of school with no qualifications and why she is proud to be a Northerner. 

Do you think HS2 will happen? Do you think it will benefit the North? Debbie is here to give her opinion on why the project will enhance the North’s capability and connectivity. 

Passionate about growing diversity within the freight industry, Debbie tells us about her work in furthering equality in the sector and why increasing the number of female train drivers is so important. 

Debbie is a woman with more than one string to her bow and is keen to promote why transport is paramount and key for growth in the North.  

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Martin Frobisher, Group director, Safety, Technical & Engineering at Network Rail, joins us in the RTM Podcast room to discuss the renewable railway of the future and safety on the track. As a Director of industry giant, Network Rail, Martin has a lot of advice regarding safety and security on railways, but it might not be what you think.

With hosts Emily Rodgers and Ailsa Cowen, the conversation kept flowing in the RTM podcast room in Manchester as we hear all Martin’s role in ensuring the 42,000 network rail staff are working safely, and how this can spread to the wider supply chain.

Find out Martin’s opinion on the Oakervee review, his work with RSSB and what aspect he thinks ‘Britain’s railway has got it right’.

Martin believes that technology is the key to a safer railway and that modern systems can take people away from the path of trains and a Safety Taskforce that has already seen a 30% reduction in the number of people working with lookout flags making a 70% reduction in near missed from people using that method of work.

Another area of passion for Martin is environmental, he talks in depth about a fully electric railway and says a zero-carbon railway is the really big picture for the next 20/30 years.

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Regional Director for the Rail Delivery Group and former journalist for Sky News and the BBC, Robert Nisbet joins us in the studio to discuss his career move into the rail industry and how technology is improving Britain’s railways year on year. 

On the agenda in the most recent RTM podcast Robert discusses the history of railways and the connection between that and Britain’s national history. He believes that rail will play a huge role going for, as it has done in the past, with high speed rail being at the forefront of future plans. 

With the latest government review advising against the cancellation of HS2, Robert discusses why HS2 will have not only a financial benefit to the country but also an environmental one with it helping the government to meet its carbon neutral target by 2050. 

Since taking on his role just 4 weeks before the May 2018 timetable change, Robert has championed the rail industry to the media as well as defended the industry’s ongoing commitment to bettering the services they offer. 

Robert also discusses the importance of maintaining relationships between rail providers and customers through transparent ticket prices, minimal delays and more accessible trains and train stations. Robert believes that improving technology on Britain’s railways will lead to a better experience for not only passengers but also the companies running them. 

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Director of Northern Powerhouse Rail at Transport for the North, Tim Wood, joins us in the RTM Podcast room to discuss benefits and opportunities the Northern Powerhouse Rail can bring. Gain inside information on the progress of Northern Powerhouse Rail from the Director himself. 

With hosts Emily Rodgers and Ailsa Cowen, the conversation kept flowing in the RTM podcast room in Manchester as we hear all about how Tim plans to spend the current allowance of £75m, and how rail companies can position themselves in front of him.

Aspirations of £100bn extra to the GVA of the North and a further £850,000 full time jobs by 2050 are just some of the side effects of this new rail network, set to improve capacity and connectivity across the country.

Learn all about how HS2 and NPH Rail go hand in hand and why we can’t have one without the other, and how close is he of meeting his promise of “spades in the ground by 2024”?

Passionate about developing a thriving North of England, Tim believes this ‘turn up and go’ system is set to transform the North, with the help of SMEs – as he is expecting 60-65% of the work to go to them.

 This and much more in this exclusive interview with the man delivering the programme.

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Director of Business development and communications at XRAIL, Monica Barbosa, joins us in the RTM Podcast room to discuss the rail industry from an SME perspective. Monica is a cheerleader for small and medium enterprises and explains how the innovation they can provide are vital to the rail industry.

With hosts Emily Rodgers and Ailsa Cowen, the conversation kept flowing here in the RTM podcast room in Manchester as we hear all about the exciting, 7-year XRAIL contract in the Middle East and why the British rail industry stands to learn a lot from it.

Do you think HS2 should be a digital solution for a digital age? Monica is here to tell us why the answer is yes and how XRAIL can contribute.

Passionate about changing the narrative of rail in the media, Monica highlights the positive aspects of the industry, why its loved by so many people, and why we should start engaging with train spotters.

 She’s not what you would consider a typical ‘rail bod’, Monica doubles as an Instagram Influencer, but this podcast is all about how SMEs can influence the ever-changing supply chain. 

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Hollie Woodard – VolkerWessels

Show Notes – RTM Podcast ep. 4

Hollie Woodard, head of equality, diversity and inclusion at VolkerWessels UK, joins us in the studio for the fourth episode of our RTM podcast, talking at length about improving industry diversity and changing the narrative at an early age to make rail a realistic and exciting career prospect for the next generation.

As Hollie explains, it can be hard to tell kids to get excited about rail when previously we’ve spent so long warning them about the “dangers of the railway”. So, how do we make rail sexy? Our guest has a few ideas, as part of this fascinating discussion between VolkerWessels’ head of ED&I and our RTM podcast hosts Matt and Ailsa.

Her current role came about in an unusual manner too; but perfectly represents the kind of person Hollie is. Asked by her organisation what would keep her in the role, then working as a project manager, she opted away from the perhaps expected answers of more money or a promotion in favour of making a real difference in the industry.

As such, VolkerWessels’ first head of equality, diversity and inclusion was born, and in the past two years Hollie has seen significant improvements in the industry, both in her own organisation and beyond. However, there is still plenty more progress to be made too, so tune in to find out an expert’s opinions on just how we can realise this necessary societal and industry shift.

There is a fun element too, as we test the rail industry knowledge of our guest with a news quiz of some of the headlines of that week. How well will she do, and can you beat her?
 
Our guests are important figures across the rail industry and Hollie is no different. Can you afford to miss out on the opportunity to discover how we can best improve and diversify the next generation of rail workers?

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Loraine Martins MBE, Director of Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail, joins us in the studio for the third episode of our RTM podcast, talking at length about her role and how it came about – Loraine was the first person to hold her current position – as well as how accessibility and diversity can be attained across the rail sector, both for passengers and in the supply chain. 

Light-hearted humour and conversation filters in between Loraine and hosts Emily Rodgers and Matt Roberts at the Cognitive Publishing offices in Manchester, as vital hard-hitting discussions around improving industry inclusion are paired with the inevitable Arsenal v Newcastle discussion when putting a Londoner and a Geordie on a sofa together.

A recent name to be included in the Top 100 most influential women in engineering, the ever humble Loraine also discusses with our hosts the feelings of being named among such incredible women within the engineering sector and earning an MBE for her work with the Olympic Planning Committee in setting up the London 2012 Olympic Games, ensuring the projects utilised local workforce and upskilled the workers – who are now the same people working on HS2 and CrossRail.

Covering a range of elements and discussions in the timely half-hour sitting, this episode provides an all-access pass to Network Rail’s diversity and accessibility push, how the supply chain gets involved and the behind-the-scenes thought processes and desires involved from one of the most important people in planning out these future strategies. As Loraine says, Network Rail wish to “create opportunities to make sure our organisation is much more open, inclusive and diverse so we are an accessible railway for all passengers” – can you afford to miss out being a part of that development? 

The podcast might be industry-focused, with a core message supporting the supply chain in furthering their rail knowledge, but that doesn’t stop the laughs and light-hearted fun flowing throughout.

Our guests may be important figures at the head of key decision-making organisations in the industry, but we’re all just people too at the end of the day. As such, want to hear about Loraine’s favourite music, some of her personal past history and try your hand alongside us at the Olympics pub quiz, then tune in keenly!

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Mike Hulme, Director of Alstom and Chair of Northern Rail Industry Leaders, joins us in the studio for our second RTM podcast, giving us exclusive insight into the rail supply chain and why rail is starting to become more cutting-edge.

With our hosts Emily Rodgers and Matt Roberts, the conversation covers everything from cricket to claustrophobia, Pendelino to Portillo and more. 

Digitalisation, smart ticketing, and the three biggest things threatening the rail industry are all covered in this light-hearted sit down with one of the most important people in rail.

Hulme goes into detail on why SMEs play a huge role in the rail industry and how companies can get in front of industry giants like Alstom. 

If you’re looking to make your mark in the rail industry, you’re in the right place. Mike has all the experience and is willing to share it with us all on this podcast. 

Our guest has been there for some of the most important projects in recent rail history and knows first-hand about Northern Powerhouse Rail and HS2’s role in the UK economy. 

Young people thinking about a career in rail shouldn’t miss out on this one, or maybe you’re in the industry already and want to further expand your knowledge before taking your next step.

Think you can beat an industry leader in a railway quiz? Play along with him and see if you’ve got what it takes. 

Find out who Mike would have at his TCR table and his favourite thing about working in rail on this second episode of the #WeAreRTM podcast. 

To quote Mike “we have the tools in the box, we just have to find the commercial way to make it happen” That’s where you come in.

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Anna-Jane Hunter, Network Rail’s director, North of England rail, joins us in the studio for our very first RTM podcast, giving a deep dive into her role, women in rail and the supply chain alongside some more light-hearted podcast antics.

Alongside hosts Emily Rodgers and Matt Roberts, the conversation is kept flowing at the Cognitive Publishing offices here in Manchester as we discuss all things rail here in the North of England. Two proud North East voices, alongside Emily’s own North West background, shines through as we chat in detail about the investment into the North and provide our listeners with an unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to a key figure in the industry.

Covering such a range of topics in the timely half-hour sitting, this episode provides an all-access pass to the supply chain and rail industry individuals which simply can’t afford ignore. Interested in tenders or perhaps leaving a local legacy following a project work? So are Network Rail, so why not listen in to one of the company’s key figures for Northern outreach giving her views on the same.

It’s not all supporting either. Anna-Jane might be a ‘Network Rail bod’ as she describes it, but listen in as she gives a real genuine, honest assessment of her organisation and the state of rail and rail work in the region. There are no punches pulled, with talk of Network Rail’s need to quicker innovate and seize on transferable skills.

The podcast might be industry-focused, with a core message supporting the supply chain in furthering their rail knowledge, but that doesn’t stop the laughs and light-hearted fun flowing throughout.

Our guests may be important figures at the head of key decision-making organisations in the industry, but we’re all just people too at the end of the day. As such, want to hear about Anna-Jane’s favourite music, the significance of bacon butties and listen in to her attempting our rail pub quiz, tune in just as keenly! 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.