Q: Could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience related to the focus of this event?
Ajtony Farkas, Cordel (AF): I work as a Principal Engineer in Cordel, supporting infrastructure managers to unlock more efficient ways to monitor their assets. We capture data from in-service trains at scale and use AI to deliver 3D mapping, positioning and localisation information in an easily actionable format. Although I have only recently joined the organisation, efficiency improvements through automation were always a cornerstone in my career, and I am looking forward to applying what I have learned from my background in rolling stock and systems engineering.
Harry Shaw, Cargill (HS): Mechanical Reliability Engineer at Cargill, Manchester. This role includes reviewing data on machinery failures, carrying out problem solving activities to reduce repeat failures, reviewing predictive and preventative maintenance strategies and technologies to improve plant and machine reliability.
Q: What, in your experience, has been the biggest roadblock for the industry over the past 2-3 years?
AF: There seems to be a lack of clarity on long-term objectives that is compounded by major prestige infrastructure projects being cut short. This inevitably reduces the appetite to adopt new technologies, until there are measures put in place to incentivise and protect holistic thinking in the industry. Hopefully, GBR will provide stable, aligned objectives.
HS: With aging assets, an aging work force and expense of new technologies, getting site buy-in to introduce technology is not easy along side a reduction in plant knowledge and machine reliability. Short term thinking and investment often outweighs longer term strategy and planning to get quick wins.
Q: What key topics are you excited to discuss at this year's event?
AF: I'm looking forward inputting to industry-wide optimisation, bringing my experience in train-borne remote condition monitoring. I would like to understand how much train manufacturers, ROSCOs and operators are willing to "future-proof" new trains at design with provision to install and integrate smart devices cost-effectively.
HS: I am excited to introduce one of the newer technologies we have started using on site to drive site reliability to a new audience who may not be aware of all the benefits we have seen.
Q: What do you consider to be the key areas of innovation in this industry, both in the UK and internationally?
AF: I believe there is ongoing work regarding standardising the way data is handled / stored / viewed at a national scale. This is key in making sure data from a multitude of sources is assessed to distill out ‘sources of truth’ that the industry can rely on. As there are similar discussions internationally, this may unlock wider lessons learned from the data.
HS: Remote sensors to drive on-line and live predictive monitoring as a means of premature detection of failures to improve plant reliability. AI will also become an important tool for interpreting large stacks of data.
Q: Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme?
AF: I’m looking forward to hearing about advancements of machine learning methods applied on data, and any novel types of sensor technologies with potential use cases in the industry.
HS: Other maintenance professionals who have managed to introduce on-line predictive technology in their workplace.
Q: Why is it important for engineers to join this event?
AF: This is an opportunity to highlight that automated inspection is a win-win scenario for both operators and infrastructure managers alike. I recommend all members to attend this seminar not only to keep on top of ongoing trends in data collection, but also to further encourage collaboration between multiple organisations in the industry to ensure the data is continuously collected, processed and then used in a way that provides the most benefit for all parties involved.
HS: A data driven approach to maintenance is vital to make more reliable plants and production lines. Automating that data capture and analysis means more innovative approaches can be adopted to reduce downtime and increase productivity and reliability.
The Automation of Inspection and Maintenance in Railways conference will be taking place on 6 November 2025 at One Birdcage Walk, London.
Join this event to find out more about:
- Condition based monitoring and predictive maintenance
- Cross-industry learning
- Data integration and decision making
- Automating asset management, maintenance planning and operations
- Rolling stock monitoring for performance and infrastructure management
- Infrastructure monitoring
- Innovation from overseas, wider industry and academia
As automation reshapes the future of rail, this conference brings together infrastructure owners, operators, OEMs, and startups to explore how AI, IoT, data analytics, and smart sensors are revolutionising maintenance.
Discover real-world applications—from Transport for London’s shift to automated asset management to AI-powered diagnostics on rolling stock—highlighting tangible gains in safety, reliability, and cost-efficiency.