The annual Future of Rail presentation competition returns for 2026! In this year's instalment, five of the best young engineers will be taking part to see who will be crowned southeast centre champion. The winner will go on to the final to compete against the winner's from across GB.

Come along to support, learn about current developments in rail and experience the drama of the competition. Our presenters:
Joseph Cantle - Three Bridges Depot - Digitalization through familiar innovation.
John Thomas - Door Speed Measurement to Combat Trap and Drag Incidents.
Joseph Mathew Kurien - Next Generation Railway Maintenance with Integrated Smart Composites, Piezoelectric Sensor Networks, and Programmable Nanomaterials.
Xuwen Jia - Real-Time Estimation of Train Braking Forces and Driver Input–Force Mapping under Operational Uncertainty.
Baihan Huang - Pareto Analysis and PivotTable Dashboarding for Component Review Planning.

As always, we will be joined by the chair of the Railway Division for their annual address. This year Rebeka Sellick will offer a vision of the contribution railways should make in a world that increasingly requires energy efficient and low carbon transport. The theme of her address is Engineering Good Connections, exploring the role of engineers in radically growing the market share of railways by providing better solutions for trunk freight, for mass transit commuters and for long distance passengers.

Please register to attend this event, which is in-person only. Light refreshments will be served before the event from 5.30pm. Networking drinks will be held in a nearby pub after the event to celebrate success.