IRR shares expertise at World Congress on Railway Research in US
Five members of the University’s Institute of Railway Research (IRR) have shared their expertise at the 14th World Congress on Railway Research (WCRR) held recently in the US.
Professor Adam Bevan, Dr Julian Stow, Professor Yann Bezin, Dr Sam Hawksbee, and Jordan Brant were invited to share some of their recent research findings developed through the IRR’s strategic partnership with the Rail Safety Standards Board in the UK.
The key event, which is the world’s largest international congress on railway research, was held in Colorado Springs from 17-21 November.
Collaborating with the International Heavy Haul Association (IHHA) Conference, the event brought together the leading minds in freight and passenger rail from around the world to tackle the pressing challenges currently facing the rail industry under the event banner of Rail Research Week.
Professor Bevan, Associate Director for Enterprise, Innovation & Knowledge Exchange at the IRR, gave a talk on the Practical Use of Wheel Impact Load Detector Data for Detecting Vehicle Defects in Freight Wagons.
Dr Stow, Associate Director for Enterprise & Industrial Partnerships at the IRR, spoke on Characterising the Dynamic Comfort Properties of Passenger Rail Vehicle Seats.
Professor Bezin, Associate Director for Research at the IRR, presented on a New Calculation Framework for Railway track Designers and Maintainers to Better Understanding and Estimate.
Dr Hawksbee, Senior Research Fellow at the IRR, spoke on the topic of White Etching Layer Formation on Wheel and Rails During Braking under Changing Adhesion Conditions.
Mr Brant, Industrial Assistant at the IRR, presented his research on Highly Adherent Leaf Layers.
Speaking after the event, Professor Bevan commented: “The WCRR offered the IRR an excellent platform to present its rail research, engage with global experts, and explore emerging challenges and opportunities for future collaboration. We look forward to continuing this dialogue and presenting our latest work at the next congress in Poland in 2028.”
Dr Stow added: “The World Congress provided a great opportunity to showcase research from the University’s partnership with the Rail Safety and Standards Board, as well as the opportunity to meet colleagues from industry and leading research institutions worldwide.”
The WCCR is held every three years and was founded by key rail institutions, SNCF in France, DB AG in Germany, Trenitalia in Italy, Railway Technical Research Institute in Japan, Rail Safety and Standards Board in the UK, MxV Rail in the USA and UIC, the international union of railways.
Since it was founded over a decade ago, the IRR has built up a reputation as a world-class centre for railway engineering research and innovation, working closely with industry and academic partners to deliver impactful research for a safer, more reliable and cost-efficient low-carbon railway.
Awarded the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for innovations in research and development that have brought significant improvements to the railway industry, the Institute leads the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network’s (UKRRIN) Centre of Excellence in Rolling Stock.
With a team of over 30 dedicated academic research staff, the IRR has received £14m of investment in state-of-the-art full-scale test facilities and has extensive capabilities in the simulation and testing of rail systems, with a focus on vehicle-track dynamics and pantograph-catenary interaction dynamics, combined with expertise in smart maintenance, traction and braking system optimisation and rail technology development.