Golden Spanner Awards
The Golden Spanner Awards 2020 goes live as a virtual event on
Friday 27 November, 2.30pm
Visit the Golden Spanners Section
Sponsored By
In association with
The Fourth Friday Club is the original networking forum for executives from all sectors of the railway industry. It was founded by former Modern Railways Editor James Abbott, based on an industry networking club he discovered in the USA.
Meetings are held six times per year, and all feature networking opportunities, luncheon and guest speakers. Three events are at central London venues and include major industry awards events – the Golden Spanners, Golden Whistles and Railway Industry Innovation Awards. Three regional conferences are also held each year in the North of England, West of England/Wales and the Midlands.
Becoming a Member
Fourth Friday Club membership now includes entry to all SIX events per year for just £765 + VAT.
To join, or to request further information please contact Chris Shilling via email chris@shillingmedia.co.uk or call on 07736 635916
Upcoming Events
Golden Whistle Awards
Event Date:
The brainchild of Institution of Railway Operators luminary and now West Dorset MP Chris Loder, the Golden Whistles event was founded in 2010 to promote best practice and celebrate excellence in railway operations.
Sponsored by Tracsis
Rail in Wales and the West
Taking place online, United Kingdom
For its third year our Rail in Wales and the West conference returns to Bristol, at a convenient location just across the road from Temple Meads station. With the exciting plans in the new Wales and Borders franchise and continuing developments on the Western there is much to reflect on and look forward to.
Golden Whistle Awards
London, United Kingdom
The brainchild of Institution of Railway Operators luminary and now West Dorset MP Chris Loder, the Golden Whistles event was founded in 2010 to promote best practice and celebrate excellence in railway operations.
Sponsored by Tracsis
Rail in the Midlands
Birmingham – exact venue to be advised, United Kingdom
It is an exciting time for Rail in the Midlands, with new franchises in place for both the East and West Midlands and new rolling stock on order, combined with infrastructure developments taking place across the region.
4th Friday Club News
Event Updates
Golden Spanner Awards 2020
The Golden Spanner awards celebrate the efforts of maintenance and depot teams in keeping trains running reliably. Roger Ford will reveal which fleets have won Gold, Silver and Bronze Spanners at our online event.
Rail in the North of England Conference Session 3
Welcome to the final session of the Modern Railways Fourth Friday Club's online Rail in the North of England conference. Today we welcome speakers from Merseytravel, TransPennine Express and Eversholt Rail.
Rail in the North of England conference - Session 2
This session features presentations from Robin Gisby, Chief Executive, DfT OLR Holdings Ltd. Ian Smith, Head of Innovation, Tracsis plc. Phil Smart, Railfuture Freight Group
Rail in the North of England conference - Session 1
This session features presentations from David Hoggarth, Strategic Rail Director, Transport for the North. Neal Fleming, Digital Services Project Manager, Porterbrook. Adrian Quine, Director, Rail Charter Services Ltd
Operations and Performance award - Railway Industry Innovation Awards 2020
Sponsored by Porterbrook, this category recognises innovations helping to improve the day-to-day running of the railway for both passenger and freight.
Environment award - Railway Industry Innovation Awards 2020
Environmental issues are high on the political agenda and the Covid crisis is only heightening our awareness of these challenges. Hear from our category sponsor BR Fares, which introduces our three shortlisted entries in this category...
Small Scale Project Award - Railway Industry Innovation Awards 2020
This category recognises innovations which do not necessarily grab the headlines but are still very worthy of recognition. The three shortlisted entries are introduced by category sponsor Houghton International
Passenger Experience award - Railway Industry Innovation Awards 2020
This category comprises entries focused on making journeys better for passengers, whether that’s through better information, an improved on-board experience or better customer service. The shortlisted entries are introduced by category sponsor the Institution of Railway Operators
Large project award - Railway Industry Innovation Awards 2020
The large project prize is awarded to an entry which makes a significant impact on the rail industry. The category is introduced by sponsor Thales, before chair of the judging panel Haydn Abbott explains how the judges selected the winner.
Engineering and Safety Award - Railway Industry Innovation Awards 2020
Running a safe and reliable railway is the number one objective for all operators, passenger and freight. In this category we see three very different innovations contributing to improvements in engineering and safety, introduced by category sponsor the Railway Industry Association
Special award for Covid-19 response - Railway Industry Innovation Awards 2020
A significant number of entries to this year’s awards were innovations responding to the Covid-19 crisis, so the judges decided to create a special category recognising some of these. This category is sponsored by Hitachi Information Control Systems Europe, and the shortlist comprises
Cross Industry Partnership Award - Railway Industry Innovation Awards 2020
The railway is a system and is therefore at its best when companies collaborate to improve the way it operates. Our category sponsor Resonate introduces three entries which demonstrate good examples of cross-industry working
Coming soon – the Railway Industry Innovation Awards
On Friday 23 October we will be holding an online version of our annual Railway Industry Innovation Awards, the longest standing awards event in the industry.
Fourth Friday Club events go online
In response to the continuing uncertainty created by the Covid-19 pandemic, we regret that Modern Railways Fourth Friday Club events will not be held in person before next spring.
The Railway Industry Innovation Awards 2020 Entry Information
Entry information and form for the 2020 event