The first ever innovation Rail (iRail) event held on Thursday 18th March 2010 was hailed a success by all who took part. The full day of activity saw rail professionals team up with academia and industry bodies to support more than 70 students from Derby
The iRail inaugural event kicked off with an early morning business breakfast for 50 local companies including rail simulator business Sydac Ltd and rail engineering consultancy ESG Ltd. East Midlands Trains Ltd, Bombardier and representatives from local bodies and professional institutions were also welcomed by organisers Transport iNet, Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum (DDRF) with support from the Derbyshire Economic Partnership.
Seventy two pupils from 10 Derby and Derbyshire schools then arrived to take part in the first annual iRail enterprise challenge. Spit into two groups, the 14 and 15 year olds visited either Bombardier or Derby Railway station, including East Midlands Trains Etches Park depot, for an insight into train building or the inner workings of the railway. The budding engineers were split into teams, assigned industry mentors and posed an engineering challenge. Two finalists from each group were judged by iRail’s panel of experts, including musical mastermind and keen rail enthusiast, Pete Waterman.
A team of six pupils from Chellaston Foundation School and Technology College were crowned “iRail Student Enterprise Champions” for 2010. Their winning idea to solve the passenger problem of getting on the wrong train by using LCD information screens, was chosen following Pete Waterman’s casting vote as Chair of the panel.
The iRail day concluded with an entertaining distinguished lecture from Professor Roderick Smith, ScD, FREng. He is Royal Academy of Engineering, Network Rail Research Professor of Railway Engineering, at Imperial College and Chair of the Future Railway Research Centre. A current Vice President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Professor Smith presented to an invited audience of more than 100 guests on the future of rail. Delivering a thought provoking overview of the considerations for design and implementation of high speed trains, Professor Smith said a “blank piece of paper” needed to be the starting point for design and engineers should not be constrained by existing capabilities but design for new ambitions.
John Frodsham, Director of the Transport iNet, said: “The success of iRail 2010 has demonstrated the appetite and enthusiasm of the rail industry to bring young people on board. All those who have taken part are keen for this to be an annual fixture in the educational and industry calendar and hope this can be a model to roll out nationally. Rail is a sustainable transport option for the future and we want to encourage the best and brightest engineers to seriously consider rail as an exciting and interesting career choice.”
Colin Walton, Chair of DDRF, said: “iRail is all about the local rail industry showing young people that rail offers an exciting and well rewarded career path. Today has sparked new relationships between employers, academics and trade bodies and given young engineers an insight into the wide variety of careers within rail.”
iRail 2010, organised by East Midlands Development Agency’s Transport iNet through the Derby and Derbyshire Rail Forum (DDRF) and supported by the Derbyshire Economic Partnership, was dedicated to promoting the railway industry as a viable, exciting and sustainable career option for young people, Derby’s Roundhouse, provided the perfect backdrop to for a day. It is a key event in the 2010 innovation Festival (iFestival). The iFestival is the UK’s largest celebration of innovation and takes places between the 12th March and the 23rd April.
The Transport iNet, which is based at Loughborough University, is funded by East Midlands Development Agency (emda) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The aim of the iNet is to share expertise and stimulate the research and development of new products, services and processes across the five transport sectors, rail, marine, automotive, motorsport and aerospace.
Source: Transport iNet