Salah REGAN
RSR Division 2025 - 200 Years of Rail
Organisers
The UITP Regional and Suburban Railways (RSR) Division and Committee Meeting brings together UITP members active in regional and suburban railways to exchange best practices and foster collaboration.
The 2025 edition will take place in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is expected to welcome around 60 to 100 participants. The programme will include conference sessions, thematic workshops and technical visits. It will also mark the Railway 200 celebrations and the historic role of the Northeast of England in the development of passenger rail.
The event promotes knowledge sharing, showcases recent developments and supports networking across both the Division and the Committee.
Railway 200 – Bicentenary Event
In 2025, Britain marks the 200th anniversary of modern rail with Railway 200, led in part by Network Rail. The celebration honours the Stockton & Darlington Railway, which began passenger services on 27 September 1825.
A key highlight is the “Inspiration” exhibition train, touring around 60 locations across England, Scotland and Wales from June to December 2025.
Programme
What to Expect?
- Sessions: Sessions form the main part of the agenda and will allow for attendees to learn and share knowledge and experiences in a format with opportunities for more traditional conference style presentation as well as opportunities to interact with other delegates.
- Technical Visits: The Technical Visits allow for the attendees to see what was being discussed during the sessions in real life. They also provide opportunites for contact with those who work directly with the topics everyday.
- Study Tour: The study tour is designed for those with a specific interest in a specific topic – in this case Reviving Rural and Regional Railways.
What are the Various Groups?
RSR Division
The RSR Divison is the UITP Stakeholder Division which includes all UITP member companies that are involved in Regional and Suburban Railway operations.
RSR Committee
The RSR Committee is the group of representatives from the RSR Division dedicated to working on topics to advance Regional and Suburban Rail topics.
The meeting of the group will be taking place on the Monday, the day of the Welcome Reception.
This meeting is by invitation only – if you would like more information about this group or would like to join, please contact Salah Regan.
Working Groups
The Working Groups of the RSR Committee are open to all RSR Division members and are currently covering the following topics:
- Climate Resilience
- Reviving Rural and Regional Railways
- First and Last Mile (subsumed into the above group)
If you are interested in joining, please do not hesitate to contact Salah Regan [email protected] for more information
Practical Information
The Venue
Neville Hall
The North of England Institute of Mining and Mechanical Engineers Building – an ideal location for the RSR Division to celebrate the rail bicentenary.
Neville Hall (room: Wood Hall) will be the location for the RSR Division Meetings, conveniently located right next to Newcastle train station in the centre of the city.
Neville Hall,
Westgate Road,
Newcastle upon Tyne,
NE1 1SE
Northumberland Line (Technical visit)
A line to the north of Newcastle, the Northumberland Line is an example of a recently revived line that capitalises on the former passenger railway line to improve connections.
Hopetown Darlington Museum (Technical Visit)
On the route of the Stockton & Darlington Line, the Hopetown Darlington Museum is dedicated to not only to railway history but also to innovation.
