GEN Y RAIL
year, were also in attendance.
Katie
iRail chairman Dave Saunders said: “Tying Gen Y and iRail together has been vital, because we didn’t have the ability within the East Midlands to spread into other areas, although we could see there was a need and appetite for it elsewhere. It’s great to see that the initial idea has been developed to this stage.
“Obviously Network Rail are very much
engaged with it, and that is fantastic, but I still feel there are many more companies that need to recognise the need for this, and be prepared to fund it.”
Opportunities
After announcing the winners, Network Rail’s Nick Spall told RTM that hopefully it has sunk in with some of the students that there are great opportunities to work in the rail industry.
“I do hope to see them back here in the future. It was especially heartening to see the percentage of girls who were taking part. In fact, in the under-16s category, it was an all-girls team that won and it was great to see they had a really good grasp of the challenges set for them,” he said.
“If only 5-10% of the students who come to these events come our way, into the rail sector, then it is a job well done. I certainly hope that Gen Y Rail can continue to grow, and with all the exciting developments and investment in infrastructure – particularly in rail over the next 25 years – it is these boys and girls who are going to be delivering it.
“We need to think about catching their interest
enthused
early, and getting them and planning their
careers and further education to gear up for them coming into our industry. We have to do events like Gen Y – and
are happy to have been
Ferrier,
programme man- ager on the Central electrifi cation scheme at Network Rail, said: “Rail- way is an old piece of infra- structure, but since 2004 we have run an extra million trains every year, we carry a billion more passengers, and are investing £20bn in the next fi ve years to improve capacity and reliability.
“It is a massive challenge for all of us, and we need the best engineers to come up with the so- lutions of the challenges in the future to ensure the network is rebuilt for the 21st century.”
able to support it have.”
as much as we
Gen Y Rail was launched by RTM’s UK Rail Industry
Training Trust (UKRITT) to
inspire and engage young people aged 11-19 about the exciting and diverse career opportunities in rail.
It has received cross- industry support from rail businesses and educational institutions including Network Rail,
Many students told RTM how excited they were to tackle their own challenge, which was extremely complex. Connor Hunt, 18, from City College Coventry, said it had really sparked an interest in rail.
Currently studying electrical engineering at college, Hunt said: “Coming here today has opened my eyes to what rail has to offer. Rail is growing, and there are lots of opportunities with HS2. When I get to the stage of applying for jobs, I think it will be really interesting to see how I can get involved in HS2.”
West Midlands competitors The West Midlands teams were drawn from:
Hitachi Rail Europe, Siemens, Northern Rail, Manchester City Council, the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, Newrail at Newcastle University, Newcastle College, WMG, AECOM, telent, Pera Training, South West Trains, The Big Bang, Mission Room, Manchester Metropolitan University, HS2, NSARE and many more.
Just a few weeks before the national fi nal, the last two regional Gen Y Rail heats took place in the West Midlands and north west.
Network Rail West Midlands heat At the West Midlands heat – also held at
Network Rail’s Westwood facility – more than 20 teams from schools and colleges across the region competed to design a train to meet the challenges of the future.
The ‘futuristic’ train had to transport 100
students, 10
Network Rail staff and a freight object.
20 | rail technology magazine Jun/Jul 14 teachers, 20
Adcote School For Girls Sandwell College City College Coventry William Brookes Academy
His team came up with an innovative, eco- friendly train incorporating solar and wind energy.
Although many of the teenagers turned up knowing only the most basic facts about rail, by the end of the day they were talking about articulated bogies, carbon fi bre bodyshells, and diesel-electric hybrid engines.
Automated trains were also a favourite with the students, and ensuring passengers received the best service on board during their journeys.
Peter Moir, head of operations for rail at telent, said: “There have been some amazing concepts. We were quite amazed and surprised about some of the great ideas the students had.
“I’m sure we’ll be taking on some of the ideas ourselves!”
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