Rail Operations (UK) Ltd describes itself as the UK’s most innovative and unique group of companies. Its CEO Karl Watts explained to the Golden Whistles conference how thinking outside the box has been key to the company’s growth since its formation in 2015.

The company was conceived in the wake of the boom in new train orders and influx of new vehicles to the network. Introduction of new fleets requires a significant amount of testing on increasingly complex rolling stock. With variations in factors such as coupler types and heights, Mr Watts explained there was no operator to look after the rolling stock engineering community, bringing operations and engineering together with technical expertise.