As rail moves up the political agenda, new products and exhibitors are coming to the UK’s leading showcase of railway infrastructure technology and expertise
The 13th international exhibition comes at a critical time for the industry, with digital technology at the heart of the Rail Sector Deal. A noteworthy exhibitor at the show is Network Rails’ Signalling Innovations Group as digital signalling and traffic management systems play a key role in resolving capacity problems on the current network.
Rail investment in the UK is also at record levels. More than £48 billion will be spent over the next five years on maintaining and upgrading the existing network to boost performance and sustain growth, increasing reliability for passengers, which are set to rise by 40% next year.
Crossrail 2, currently valued at £40 billion, will provide a new North-South rail link across London. This together with other projects will offer great business opportunities for national and international suppliers in an already global market with FirstGroup and the Italian company Trenitalia set to take over the running of the UK’s West Coast mainline train route. Electrification and modernisation schemes in excess of £2.8 billion as well as a Digital Railway programme worth £450 million are promising too.
Industry also awaits the publication of the Williams Rail Review, expected in Autumn, which will examine the structure of the whole rail industry and the way passenger services are delivered.
This is encouraging companies to exhibit their latest innovations at Infrarail 2020, to make infrastructure safer, more resilient, sustainable and innovative.
Olivia Griscelli, Exhibition Director for Infrarail 2020, said on behalf of the organisers Mack Brooks Exhibitions, “The exhibition provides an excellent networking opportunity for buyers and sellers in the industry. It follows on the success of the 2018 edition, which saw over 210 exhibitors and around 5000 visitors from over 40 countries, with many high-level speakers from government and industry outlining their vision of the future of the sector.”
All the major government bodies, institutions and associations, such as Network Rail, High Speed 2 (HS2), The Railway Industry Association, Birmingham Rail Research Centre, Rail Alliance, ERCI and CPD Certification Services will again offer their support to the high-level event. Feedback from exhibitors is positive too, with 94% of them receiving strong business enquiries in 2018.
Stands are still available for the 2020 event, taking place for the first time at Olympia London, a beautiful, iconic and easily accessible venue, on 12 to 14 May 2020.
Who is exhibiting in 2020?
Over 80 companies have already booked their stands for Infrarail 2020, including the Signalling Innovations Group at Network Rail, as well as level crossing systems provider Rosehill Rail and rail infrastructure provider Cubis Systems, supplier to Network Rail and the London underground.
PACE Networks will showcase its latest developments in electrification, infrastructure and power. Whilst manufacturing company Cembre Ltd will present much needed machinery to secure track maintenance. Civil engineering experts Scott Parnell Ltd will be there too, showing how to make rail maintenance safer, with its latest range of elevated cable management systems.
PULSAR will present its collection of high performance apparel for the rail sector. Whilst Marshalls CPM will be exhibiting their Redi-Rock modular wall solution, which is ideal for protecting the rail line against erosion, landslips and rock falls. ZEP UK, supplier to Network Rail and Transport for London, will be present at the show, exhibiting cleaning and maintenance products for the rail industry.
For more information about Infrarail 2020 or to book a stand, check out the website: www.infrarail.com
