Lander, delegate again at the "13th Annual UK Light Rail Conference"

Iosu Aguirrezabala, UK Area Manager at Lander Simulation, attended the 13^th UK Light Rail Conference organised by Mainspring on 17 and 18 July in Manchester.

This event is the sector's main gathering, giving operators the chance to discuss the issues of the moment and gain an insight into the industry's trends and the near future.

The working conference consisted of 25-minute presentations followed up by discussion panels, giving more than 200 delegates the opportunity to share their experiences. The networking and exhibition areas also made a positive contribution to enhance the event and strengthen relationships.

The tram and light rail community continues to expand in the United Kingdom. Over at least the last two years this mode of transport has been notching up all-time highs in terms of the rides and vehicles per mile recorded since 1983. One obvious example of the progress made is the expansion of lines and fleet in the Greater Manchester area. The annual number of passengers carried by Metrolink has now topped 40 million. Similarly, Docklands Light Rail and Tyne and Wear Metro recently launched tenders for the procurement of new vehicles. The Welsh Government continues to invest in the sector, on a budget of approximately GBP 5bn over the next 5 years. Operations such as the Midland Metro are also continuing to expand their lines.

We wish to congratulate Mainspring for their excellent organisation, and hope they will continue to create events seeking synergies in terms of cooperation and identification of needs among operators.

Our mission is to create solutions that meet our customers' needs, with a view to helping all of us build a more competitive sector.