Light Rail engineers have welcomed the new chairman of an influential working group.

Ian Hale, Infrastructure Manager at London Trams was elected at the latest meeting of the UKTram Light Rail Engineering Group (LREG), replaced outgoing chair Ian Middlemiss of Transport for Greater Manchester.

With a wealth of experience as a chartered engineer, consultant and rail project manager, Ian said he felt honoured to accept the role and paid tribute to the group’s achievements while led by his predecessor.

“I’m looking forward to building on the excellent work of Ian Middlemiss and this group in sharing best practice and exploring innovative solutions to the engineering challenges faced by the sector,” he added.

The latest meeting of the group, hosted by UKTram trade member Siemens Automations & Drives, also heard that applications were now being sought for a new vice-chair.

More than 20 engineers from across the sector attended the meeting, either in person or on Teams, for wider discussions on a range of topics, including the scope and formulation of a research project by UKTram into embedded track renewals.

They also expressed support for the initiative, which could span several years, taking in a full holistic approach to this critical aspect of tramway engineering and operations.

A follow-up session will take place to refine the scope of the research and to develop a questionnaire for industry members requesting their feedback on other potential projects.