Area Events Round-up
Our Area Councils have recently been delivering a wide range of engaging and informative events that brought members together and strengthened our community. Thanks to all our Area Council volunteers. Here are some highlights.
Other Area Council Events …
The North West & Wales Area Council hosted a series of fascinating events, including Potters Bar 2002: The Fatal Derailment and the Lessons That Shaped Rail Safety; Bridging the Tracks – A Career at the Interface of Train Operations and Network Rail; The Greatest Gathering: Staging the World’ s Largest Railway Festival; and Railway Safety, Regulation and the Future.
Meanwhile, the South West & Wales Area Council offered members the chance to hear from Mark Hopwood CBE, Managing Director of GWR and CIRO Chair; South West and Wales Annual Quiz, as well as hosting a Managing Category A Event at Cardiff.
The North East kept members busy with a York Rail Operating Centre Visit, their Christmas Social, and a talk on The Power of Open Access.
In the Midlands, members explored Reconnecting Coventry, Leicester, and Nottingham by Rail; enjoyed the Midlands Area Festive Gathering 2025 & The Greatest Gathering – The Inside Story; and toured Etches Park Depot.
The South East Area Council welcomed new members at their Reception; organised Docklands Light Railway- Looking to the Future; and Discover the Future of High-Speed Mobility.
CIRO South East Area- International Study Tour Roundup
On 16 October, 15 delegates took part in the CIRO International Tour to Paris and Brussels, hosted by Eurostar and SNCF Réseau. In Paris, delegates learned about the expansion of RER Line E and visited the impressive Operations Control Centre at Pantin.
New rolling stock, line extensions and the introduction of Automatic Train Operation will significantly increase capacity on this key route, effectively making it Paris’ s equivalent of the Elizabeth Line.
The group then visited Gare du Nord to see the changes being implemented by Eurostar to accommodate the EU Entry / Exit System, alongside plans to increase capacity and support additional services.
The Scottish Area Council offered insights into Meteorologists and Their Role on Scotland’ s Railway and hosted An Evening with Ross Moran & Mark Ilderton.
While the Irish Area Council organised visits to Grand Central and NIROC.
If you missed any of our online events, you can catch up on the many recorded events at your convenience on CIRO TV via the Members’ Portal.
You can also check out upcoming events on our website: https:// www. ciro. org / whats-on /
A smooth onward journey took delegates to Brussels, where they were given a tour of the Eurostar Operational Crisis Centre, offering valuable insight into the complexity of operating international services across five countries and the Channel Tunnel.
The tour concluded with a visit to the Train World museum in Schaerbeek, providing a fitting historical perspective to round off the visit. www. ciro. org
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