The Western Route Capacity – Back to the Future

Howard Pack is talking transport infrastructure at the Firefly Lounge in Reading on Wednesday 4 November, from 18:00 to 20:00, with the main session starting at 18:30. It's run by CILT(UK) Events / Thames Valley Group as part of the Central Southern region's programme, and there's an online session too if you can't make it in person.

Pack is a retired consultant who spent decades conceptualising, planning and designing major transport projects. His career took him well beyond the UK: he worked on re-opening railways in Egypt, a new mineral terminal in Saudi Arabia, the conceptual design of a rail-freight terminal for the Port of Liverpool, and railway logistics planning in Finland. He's formerly of Howard Pack Consulting and Corus Rail Consulting & Tata Steel Projects.

The talk focuses on a 2016 study, Western Route Capacity – Back to the Future, which looked at how passenger and freight traffic forecasts from 2015 to 2043 could be reconciled with existing infrastructure and new rolling stock. Among the interventions it proposed were grade-separated junctions, remodelling Paddington and the Didcot to Oxford corridor, and the use of double-decker trains. It's the kind of thing that usually stays in the reports, so it's a good chance to hear it laid out properly.

After the talk, the evening continues with discussion and professional networking at the Three Guineas. The Firefly Lounge is at the Three Guineas, Station Approach, Reading RG1 1LZ. Entry is free for CILT(UK) members and £5.00 including VAT for non-members.