Warwickshire will be the final stop for thousands of delegates, exhibitors and businesses attending the UK’s largest outdoor rail exhibition next month.

Businesses in the rail industry and its supply chain from across Warwickshire, Coventry and the wider region are being urged to register to attend the free Rail Live 2024 exhibition which is organised by Bauer Media, publisher of RAIL Magazine, and held at Porterbrook’s Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre, on Wednesday June 19 and Thursday June 20.

This is the 10th time that Rail Live has been held at the site, which has been operated since 2021 by the UK’s leading rolling stock financier and asset management company Porterbrook which permanently acquired the site in March this year.

The company recently announced plans to renew and electrify the centre’s 3.5km track, so that it can support the introduction of new electric train fleets to the railway network to help the UK meet net-zero targets.

Porterbrook has overseen a transformation of the site since 2021, investing over £13m so far to upgrade and enhance facilities across the centre. Once the track electrification is completed at the end of 2025, the major development will take the company’s total investment in the site to over £75 million.

The Long Marston Rail Innovation site is one of a few UK sites for rail test and development with mainline linked rail infrastructure, and features a unique 3.5km test loop. Other UK test sites include Network Rail’s Rail Innovation & Development Centres in Tuxford (Nottinghamshire) and Melton (in Leicestershire); and the Very light Rail Centre in Dudley.

Rail Live 2024 is expected to be another record-breaking year with over 280 exhibitors attending and over 6,000 visitors due to see the latest rail innovations and displays of rolling stock, attend demonstrations and hear from industry speakers during panels and presentations.
The event, which is the UK’s largest outdoor railway exhibition, will include speeches from leaders from across the railway industry, including Network Rail Chief Executive Andrew Haines.

Children from primary schools in the Warwickshire area will also be joining forces with senior representatives from the railway to compete in a live engineering challenge on stage, as part of their involvement in the Primary Engineer rail project. Primary Engineer is a not-for-profit organisation whose vision is to ensure all children achieve their full potential through engagement with engineering.

The celebration event at the completion of the project, delivered in partnership with Porterbrook, was held at Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre earlier this year. This is the first time that the live engineering challenge event will take place at Rail Live.

Ben Ackroyd, Chief Operating Officer at Porterbrook, said: “It’s a pleasure for Porterbrook to welcome thousands of visitors from across the industry to our Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre again this year. Rail Live is always a spectacular show highlighting skill, innovation and progress across the railway with millions of pounds of impressive technology and equipment, captivating displays and engaging speakers taking to the stage.”
Invest in Coventry & Warwickshire will be exhibiting attending at the event to engage with and promote profile the region’s rail and transport technology supply chain.

The team will also provide information to businesses looking to find out more about setting up in Warwickshire and the wider Midlands and offer information on business support for exporting, skills, rail networks and programmes as well as access to finance.

Warwickshire County Council Cllr Martin Watson, Portfolio Holder for Economy, said the show offered a great showcase for the county’s strengths as a location for rail supply, technology and inward investment. “There are a great deal of opportunities for small and medium sized businesses in the rail supply chain in Warwickshire and the wider area, and Rail Live 2024 is an ideal opportunity on our doorstep to engage with and understand the industry and meet leading organisations and businesses and network with people within a growing industry,” he said.

“Porterbrook provides testing, training, maintenance and storage facilities for the railway industry and its ambitious plans for Long Marston Rail Innovation Centre confirms their commitment to the county and the sector which is fantastic news.”