Batteries included: The challenges of adopting battery and hybrid technology in the rail industry

David Clarke: Technical Director, Railway Industry Association

David Clarke is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers with over 35 years’ rail industry experience. In his role at RIA, the trade association for the UK railway supply industry, he represents members' interests in the important areas of safety, technical standards, technical strategy, research and innovation. Current priorities include decarbonisation, digitalisation and supply chain sustainability.

Prior to joining RIA he was the Innovation Director at RSSB helping to deliver the Rail Technical Strategy. His earlier career includes being Deputy Director, Rail Technical at the Department for Transport, prior to which he was a Director for two of the major rail infrastructure contractors having started his career with British Rail. He has been responsible for large operational and project delivery teams, securing major contracts, corporate strategy and business development and, more recently, for technical strategy and innovation.

Bill Reeve: Director of Rail, Transport Scotland

Bill Reeve joined Transport Scotland to establish its new rail team, following the devolution of rail powers to the Scottish Parliament in 2005. He also leads the programme to introduce integrated smart ticketing across all public transport modes in Scotland. As well as his Transport Scotland role, Bill is the Independent Chair of the new Rail North Partnership Board. Bill is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and recently served as Chairman of its Railway Division.

Karl Watts: CEO, Rail Operations Group

Karl is a career railwayman, businessman and entrepreneur. In recent years, he has spearheaded the development and growth of Rail Operations Group (the UK's first dedicated rolling stock services and test train operating company), Traxion, (the UK's first dedicated rolling stock storage company) and, more recently, Orion, (the UK's first rail-borne high-speed logistics train operating company). He pioneered the conversion of surplus passenger electric multiple unit (EMU) trains into logistics trains to serve the e-commerce market. He pioneered the development and procurement of the UK's first fleet of environmentally-friendly, fast and powerful class 93 tri-mode locomotives, the first of which arrives in Q1 2023. Karl is now using this technology to deliver rail industry decarbonisation and transform UK train operations.

Peter Dearman: Independent Consultant, .

Peter Dearman is a qualified Electrical and Mechanical Rail Engineer with a background in traction electrification. He began his career at British Rail in 1970 and now has a extensive experience of well over 40 years in rail engineering and operations.

Peter has held senior and varied roles within British Rail, Railtrack and Network Rail, and has also held Director level positions in Atkins, Jarvis and Systra.

Between 1996-2002 he was heavily involved in winning, and as Alliance Engineering Director, delivering the West Coast Mainline electrification upgrade.

As an advisor to Banedanmark he helped in the strategic development of the plan to electrify over 1500 single track kilometres of the Danish State Railway, a scheme now delivering in realisation of that plan.

He was responsible for defining the engineering framework and strategic development of the network electrification programme of which the Great Western, North West and Midland Main Line schemes are a part.

He remains involved in electrification as an independent consultant.

Dave Horton: Chief Mechanical Engineer, Vivarail

Dave Horton studied Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London. His career started at Bombardier Transportation in Derby, where he spent 9 years in bogie design and fleet maintenance. Dave became Chief Mechanical Engineer at Vivarail in 2018, where the rapid evolution of the ‘D-Train’ project has seen him take the lead with the design of diesel-battery hybrid trains for Wales, third rail electric trains for the Isle of Wight, and a demonstration battery train for COP26. Dave is a passionate believer in the power of railways to help meet our decarbonisation objectives, with battery trains able to play a key role in the electrification plan.

Jane Wright: Systems Engineer, Transport for London

Jane Wright is a Systems Engineer with expertise in whole life carbon assessment and zero emission vehicle strategy. She is an Institution of Civil Engineers Carbon Champion. She currently works for Transport for London in the Engineering Directorate managing the zero emission bus strategy and designing carbon management processes and training for TfL’s Major Programmes.

Taram Orubo: Graduate Engineer, Rail Safety and Standards Board

Taram Orubo is a Graduate Engineer in the Rolling Stock Team under the Standards Directorate at RSSB. Since joining RSSB in November 2021 as part of the Graduate programme, she has developed an understanding of the GB rail Standards framework and supported GB and International standard projects. She graduated with a BEng Honours Integrated Engineering degree from Cardiff University in 2021; gaining experience as a Project Engineering Intern in Process Engineering at Estee Lauder, working at Shell Nigeria in the Chemical Engineering Department both of which complemented her previous experience shadowing a Mechanical Rail Engineer at London Underground.

Julian Fletcher: Systems Engineer, Vivarail

Julian Fletcher read Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds, then worked at Perkins Technology (now Caterpillar) developing off-highway diesel engines for a couple of years before spending over twenty years at Rolls-Royce. There he was involved in a broad range of development projects, including vibration and thermal imaging work, testing prototype civil gas turbines and responding to major in-service events. He then moved to Vivarail in response to the environmental and climate change emergency, and over the last 18 months has been working on battery conversion of rolling stock, including shunting locomotives, maintenance vehicles and the pioneering Class 230.