As the rail sector navigates a myriad of challenges while striving to deliver efficient and reliable services to passengers and freight operators alike, one of the keynotes at TransCityRail Midlands 2025 delved into Network Rail’s central route and its relationship with the supply chain.
Kicking off his keynote speech, Adam Checkley, Infrastructure Director for the Central Route at Network Rail, outlined the historical prominence of collaboration between railway companies and the supply chain, tracing back to the inception of the railways. He emphasised that without this partnership, many of the iconic structures and systems we rely on today would not exist.
Adam then explored the challenges facing Network Rail. With rising costs and pressures to deliver value for money, the apologist outlines the necessity of a strong supply chain to weather these storms. He addresses the impact of inflation, operational expenditure, and the pressing need for efficiency in a post-COVID world where the demand for rail services is on the rise.
One of the most pressing issues that the country is facing as a whole, is the rising cost of living. With people having to pay more for everything they need, Adam acknowledged the duty that the rail industry has to make sure that it is providing value for money when people are spending increasing amounts on their train fares. Exploring this matter, Adam said:
“We have a duty of care towards taxpayers to make the most of funding, and we certainly have an even bigger duty of care when we’ve got cost of living raises.
“We need to make sure that when people want to buy a service, when people want to go to a dinner, when people want to go to a show, they want value for money – and it is no different with the railway. We have to provide that value for money right from the very start.”
Closing his keynote, Adam considered how the supply chain can help Network Rail to work smarter and more efficiently, to continue with the improvement of the UK’s rail network. Whether it is through transparency, or innovation, it is vital that rail remains ahead of the curve in the ever-changing world. Addressing members of the supply chain, Adam closed with:
“Network Rail needs to bring more transparency to our challenges, because it just looks to you like we can’t make up our mind. That’s can’t be further from the truth, so we need to bring that transparency to you.
“Adaptations to our ever-changing world, in terms of failures and in terms of what extreme weather is going to bring us. We need to look at that and how we can help Network Rail adjust to the new normal, and help each other adjust to that. How do we invest more smartly? How do we deliver intervention?”
Image credit: TransCity Rail
