Railway 200 at Aston -Britain’s Railway Today: Challenges and Opportunities

Tuesday 18 November 2025, 1730, Susan Cadbury Theatre, Conference Aston

PLEASE BE AWARE, THAT THIS WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR JULY, AND THE DATE HAS NOW BEEN CHANGED.

In this session, Aston University hosts a discussion amongst industry experts on the challenges and opportunities of the current railway industry. They will each speak on their perspectives and then there will be a panel discussion. This will be followed by an opportunity to ask the speakers questions.

Chair: Lucy Rackliff (Aston University) – Head of the Department of Engineering Management

A speaker from Transport for All - TBC

Transport for All's mission is to break down barriers and transform the transport system, so that all disabled people can make the journeys we want, with freedom, dignity, ease, and confidence. Their work is rooted in the Social Model of Disability, which states that people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment.

Matt Hadlington: Head of Communications & Public Affairs, Transport Focus

Matt Hadlington is the Head of Comms and Public Affairs at Transport Focus. With over 20 years of experience working in the industry, he has worked on major infrastructure projects across the country and delivered multiple passenger comms campaigns, primarily in rail.

His role at the independent watchdog is the help raise the profile of the issues that matter most, using communications to support the business in it's goal of driving positive change for transport users.

Stephen Pauling: Senior Associate Director – Rail Planning, Jacobs

Stephen Pauling is a life-long transport planning professional, with a strong passion for rail. As Head of Rail Planning at Jacobs, Stephen has a tremendous depth of experience in rail and transport planning, and has engaged extensively with senior political leaders, including the Mayor of London and UK Government Ministers. Prior to joining Jacobs, Stephen spent ten years at Transport for London leading the planning for Crossrail 2, a £30bn new underground line planned for London.

Maggie Simpson OBE: Director General Railfreight Group

Maggie Simpson is Director General of the Rail Freight Group, the representative body for rail freight in the UK. Since joining in 2005 she has worked to promote growth in rail freight and to support member companies of the Group in their activities. She is also a Trustee of the Railway Benefit Fund.

Photo by Sam on Unsplash8

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