The winner of the 2026 Peter Parkin Memorial Competition is Sam Pointon from Arup. In a very tight competition of 4 excellent entries, Sam’s presentation on Remote Condition Monitoring won on the night. This is the 2nd year in a row that Arup has fielded the winning participant. Sam wins a £100, a place at our Annual Dinner and membership of the Society. Many thanks to the other entrants as well for taking part and to our judges.
Members of the Society can read each of the 4 presentations by logging into the website.
Our 4 shortlisted contestants, Ricco Tsang, Sam Pointon, Olive Lau and Katie Page.
Below are the 4 shortlisted finalists along with a short synopsis of their proposed presentation.
Olive Lau – IKOS Consulting UK
Presentation Synopsis By Olive Lau…
Much of the discussion surrounding the European Train Control System (ETCS) focuses on signalling strategy, network capacity, and the wider benefits of digital railway transformation. However, less attention is often given to how ETCS is safely integrated onto existing rolling stock as a safety-critical train protection system. This presentation focuses on the safety assurance framework used to support onboard ETCS deployment within the UK railway industry and aims to provide a simplified understanding for audiences from a wide range of technical backgrounds.
The presentation will briefly explain the principles of ETCS Level 2 before exploring how safety assurance is achieved through the application of the Common Safety Method for Risk Evaluation and Assessment (CSM-RA). It will examine how ETCS integration is treated as a significant change, requiring structured hazard identification, risk assessment, and development of safety requirements to demonstrate that risks have been reduced to an acceptable level.
The presentation will also explore the assurance lifecycle from generic ETCS product approval through to integration onto a specific train application, including human factors, braking performance, EMC, vehicle integration, and operational considerations. In addition, it will discuss the roles of independent assessment, Authorisation to Place Into Service (APIS), and Putting Into Use (PiU), highlighting how technical, operational, and organisational assurance activities combine to support safe ETCS deployment across UK rolling stock fleets.
Katie Page – DG8 Design
Presentation Synopsis By Katie Page…
The interior design of rail vehicles requires many considerations to ensure an inclusive experience for all users. Ensuring interiors are compliant with industry standards and that the design aligns with operator branding provides many challenges. When undertaking these design projects, work is completed in accordance with the National Technical Specification Notice Accessibility (NTSN ACC) 2025, which outlines the requirements to achieve a complaint interior. This presentation aims to introduce key considerations when completing design projects, including:
Interior colour contrast: What is colour contrast and how is this determined? When designing new interiors or undertaking refurbishments, colour contrast is the key determinant of colour applications throughout the vehicle, aiming to improve passenger experience through easily identifiable objects and areas.
Seating: Considerations of wheelchair spaces and priority seating. Ensuring vehicle interiors are accessible for people of reduced mobility and wheelchair users through dimensional and functional considerations in accordance with the NTSN ACC 2025.
Systems relating to wheelchair and priority seating: PIS screens and Call for Aid devices. Considering PIS screen locations in relation to seating visibility, and the requirements for compliant Call for Aid devices.
Exploring these considerations within case studies will also help to contextualise these requirements to project scenarios.
Sam Pointon – Arup
Presentation Synopsis By Sam Pointon…
Remote Condition Monitoring (RCM) is currently extensively used across the UK rail network, providing safety, performance and maintenance benefits across the rail industry. While RCM currently provides significant benefits, further improvements to RCM technology and implementation could greatly impact the rail industry.
This presentation details the RCM technology which are currently deployed by Network Rail and privately in the UK. For each of these technologies an investigation into the strengths and weakness of the technology is undertaken to gain a detailed understanding of current RCM deployment. Following this a look into emerging RCM technologies is undertaken, exploring technologies which are currently under deployment for deployment in the UK. For each of the emerging RCM technologies, the impact their deployment would have is explored.
The presentation finally reviews how the implementation of RCM may evolve from current practices. The evolution of RCM is expected to be driven both by the development of RCM technologies and the formation of GB Rail, with this change potentially impacting the incentives for RCM deployment.
Ricco Tsang – Arup
Presentation Synopsis By Ricco Tsang…
ATRAPO is the in-house single-train simulator used by Arup. It simulates the behaviour of trains powered by various energy sources, e.g., diesel, electric, battery and hydrogen. The code has served well in its role, having provided battery size estimates for battery-electric feasibility studies, hydrogen consumption rates for proposed daily operations, and validated client train performance simulations during fleet procurements. Spurred on by the drive for decarbonisation, the rail industry is shifting towards more complex traction architectures, with hybrid, bi-mode and tri-mode trains increasing in prevalence. ATRAPO must move with the times and continue to deliver results quickly, reliably and accurately, in keeping with these advancements.
This presentation describes ATRAPO’s metamorphosis – how, from an innocuous request, limitations in the existing code were discovered; how, by this discovery, a capability wall was revealed; how, by circumstances and decisions, the transformation of the code was shaped, and how, through repeated testing, verifying and validating, this transformation was realised.
This story has exciting implications. ATRAPO will continue to serve its original purpose, while being more versatile, accurate and futureproofed. More importantly, windows for further upgrades and integration have been opened, so ATRAPO can continue to contribute towards the creation of a more sustainable railway.
