For this address the new Railway Division Chair, Andy Mellors, will examine the economic and wider societal benefits which the rail industry delivers and consider the current challenges facing the industry, the engineering profession and our Institution. The lecture will also address what the Railway Division should focus on, including what we need to do to in order to move with the times and attract the next generation of potential engineers.

The Chair's address will be preceded by Case Study sessions, in which short presentations on railway engineering topics with a North West flavour will be presented.