Safety first and business focus at ‘biggest ever’ HRA conference
NEW agreements on sharing safety information among heritage lines and ways to meet the enormous financial challenges facing the sector have resulted from the biggest Heritage Railway Association conference ever held.
More than 200 representatives of UK heritage railways throughout the UK attended the two-day event in Birmingham on November 1/2, and heard from 23 speakers and contributors covering everything from the latest innovations in structural engineering to marketing strategy, and from volunteer recruitment to the economic and cost challenges ahead in 2023.
The speaker list included the largestever presence by the Office of Rail and Road – deputy chief inspector of railways, Richard Hines; head of non-main line railways, Patrick Talbot; and principal inspector of railways, Simon Barber – who all answered questions from the audience and focused on the challenges of ensuring that safety remains strong in a sector where heritage is paramount and large numbers of volunteers play an essential role.
HRA chief executive Steve Oates said: “These conferences have rapidly become the most important way that the sector shares best practice. They are also the best opportunity anywhere to hear from the top thinkers and most influential figures in our sphere.
“I was really heartened by how engaged the Office of Road and Rail were with this conference, and also how openly so many railways spoke about the methods they are using to tackle the huge challenges being faced right now.”
The conference also featured a panel discussion with five leading chairmen and chief executives. These were Paul Lewin, from the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways, Nick Ralls, of the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, Simon Marsh, from the Kent & East Sussex Railway, Chris Price, from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and recently appointed Mid-Hants Railway CEO Amanda Squires.
Amid strong calls by the panel for boards, staff, volunteers, members and supporters to pull together and share ideas and challenges, the session covered the need for clear and supportive governance and confident decision-making on pricing, and the importance of giving customers and visitors an excellent experience.
In another session, West Somerset Railway general manager Kerry Noble spoke about how the line had begun to turn itself around after a difficult few years, both financially and organisationally.
Delegates also heard how a new safety information sharing process has been developed by the HRA through its operating and safety committee to ensure that members are brought up to date with latest safety thinking in the sector, including sharing learning outcomes from ‘near misses’ that are currently often only shared internally.
Keynote speaker Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy provided a frank assessment of how the national network is currently performing and how it can work with heritage railways.
Regarding plans to mark the 200th anniversary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, he said that Network Rail is at the heart of plans to ensure that the celebrations can reach every corner of the UK and inspire new audiences for both the national network and heritage lines.
Stuart Hendry, of the West Somerset Railway, who previously had a senior signalling role on the national network, spoke about the importance of recognising when someone might need support with their mental health, drawing on his personal experience of being on site during main line rail disasters. “If I was to highlight one takeaway point from the conference, it would undoubtedly be the focus and passion on ensuring everyone pulls together to get through the huge externally driven challenges heritage rail faces,” he said.
“From coal to staffing and, of course, the huge cost of living impact on our customers, it is a difficult period to be a heritage railway and it’s certainly not a time for divisiveness.
“But lots of speakers were very clear that they are grasping the challenges and adapting quickly to ensure their railway survives and thrives.”
➜ The next Heritage Railway Association events will be a series of workshops during the winter months in conjunction with the ORR and the Rail Accident Investigation Branch, followed by the spring conference in Birmingham on March 10/11.