‘Train stations are not just arrival and departure locations’ Mike Goggin, Steer Davies Gleave – Webinar, Tuesday 31 October

IN ANOTHER change from our normal format, our second guest speaker of the 2017-18 session will talk to a ‘webinar’ meeting on 31 October. The time and details of how to access the webinar were not available when Modern Railways went to press but will be posted on the RSA website once confirmed.

Mike Goggin is Group Client Engagement Director at Steer Davies Gleave (SDG) and has worked in the rail and transit industry for over 20 years. He rejoined SDG from Network Rail, where he was Director of Stations and Customer Service, leading a portfolio of activities that included the organisation’s station strategy for its 2,500+ railway stations. In his current role he continues to enjoy a broad range of consulting roles in the UK and overseas with a particular emphasis on the rail sector and its industry structures, policies, contracts and approach to railway stations.

‘LABS BY LONDON MIDLAND – INNOVATION IN THE RAIL INDUSTRY’, IAN MCLAREN, TUESDAY 9 NOVEMBER, LONDON

The railway’s slow rate of change and innovation is a popular topic of conversation and it often lags behind the expectations of the modern passenger. Seeking a solution, train operator London Midland launched a tech accelerator programme earlier this year. A number of selected start-ups were challenged to develop new products and services that London Midland will look to harness to improve the experience of its passengers. Ian’s talk will be held in central London at a venue and time to be announced on the RSA website.

Ian McLaren is Finance and Contracts Director at London Midland, where he has been since July 2014. In addition to his financial responsibilities, Ian also oversees IT and Telecoms for London Midland. Prior to joining London Midland, Ian held a number of financial and commercial roles at fast-growing technology companies and also business start-ups.

MIDLANDS SECTION MEETING, WEDNESDAY 15 NOVEMBER, SPEAKER TO BE CONFIRMED

At the time of writing, whilst the 15 November had been earmarked for the next Midlands section meeting, the speaker was not confirmed.

SIMON FEAST WRITES:

Neil Micklethwaite kicked off the 2017-18 session with an RSA breakfast meeting talk by Jacqueline Starr at the Betjeman Arms at St Pancras. We are continuing to try new things, with a webinar as detailed above on 31 October. We would again welcome feedback on what members think of this new format, as we are looking at some new ideas of how we can do things a little bit differently over the coming year of exciting transformation for the RSA.

You can read Modern Railways’ write ups of previous RSA talks on the Activities – Past Meetings page of the website.

If you wish to keep up-to-date with developments you can follow us on Twitter @railwaystudy and also on Facebook using the link on our website.

Hear the speakers, ask the questions and then read all about it in Modern Railways!

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