RAIL’s National Rail Recovery Conference is returning on May 4, this time as a hybrid event taking place both in London and virtually.

Last year’s NRRC took place on a virtual platform in February 2021, owing to COVID restrictions. The event attracted more than 1,500 registrations.

This year’s NRRC will bring together experts and Government to provide an update on current progress with building the new Great British Railways structure, while providing an opportunity to discuss and debate some of the changes that will need to be made in the coming months and years.

The first confirmed speakers for the event are a high-level cohort from the GBR Transition Team, including:

■ Anit Chandarana, Lead Director, GBRTT.

■ Elaine Seagriff, Programme Director, Strategic Planning and Whole Industry Strategic Plan, GBRTT.

■ Rufus Boyd, Programme Director, Passenger & Freight Services, GBRTT.

■ Suzanne Donnelly, Programme Director, Passenger Revenue & Marketing, GBRTT.

There will also be an important address from GBRTT Lead and Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines. Further speakers will be announced soon.

The past two years have shaken the very core of society and fundamentally transformed the public’s relationship with their railway, while also highlighting the immense value of rail freight to the fabric of our lives.

Not only has the railway had to contend with a pandemic, it was already embarking on developing a new structure following the Williams-Shapps Review.

As such, every part of the industry urgently needs imagination, invention, and a reboot to ensure that the whole is fit for purpose for a post-pandemic world under Great British Railways. Funding is going to be tight, so brand new and more efficient ways of working are required.

This will be the event to frame that debate and to enable engagement and participation in some of the most important discussions our industry has needed to have in decades.

■ To book your tickets, either to attend the conference in person at etc.Venues, County Hall, London or virtually from anywhere in the world, visit http://www.nationalrailconference.com.