Rail leaders attend Railway Children and Ashurst LLP networking breakfast

Home > News > News > Rail leaders attend Railway Children and Ashurst LLP networking breakfast

Rail leaders attend Railway Children and Ashurst LLP networking breakfast

Our recent Rail Leaders Networking Breakfast was a huge success, sparking vital conversations about the future of the UK rail industry and fostering connections among key players.

Date: 2cd July 2025 | Author: Con Enzler

Coffee and rail talk

We recently had the pleasure of hosting the first Rail Leaders Networking Breakfast in collaboration with Ashurst at their London offices.

This exclusive event brought together key individuals from across the rail sector for insightful discussions on the future of the rail industry.

We were honoured to welcome Alex Hynes, Director General of Rail Services at the Department for Transport (DfT), as our keynote speaker. He provided insightful reflections on rail reform and shared his vision for the future of Great British Railways. His insights sparked many thoughtful conversations among the attendees as they reflected on the sector’s direction.

Exclusive rail insights

Our own Rob Capener (CEO) and Rina Dabhi (UK Programme Director) spoke about how our UK Programme is working to embed strong safeguarding practices across the rail network. They highlighted why this work is more important now than ever, contributing to both the safety of vulnerable people and the overall reduction of incidents on the network. Ahead of upcoming government plans to reform the railway, we want to ensure that safeguarding remains a priority and is written into new legislation and guidance.

Beyond the presentations, the breakfast offered a valuable opportunity for attendees to network, connect, and engage in topical discussions over a delicious breakfast.

It was clear that everyone present shared a commitment to shaping a more efficient, safer, and forward-looking railway system in the UK.

Speakers at Railway Children and Ashurst Rail Networking Breakfast

“It was a real joy hosting this event with Ashurst, and wonderful for everyone to have the opportunity to learn new insights and engage with so many key players in the industry.

There was lots of great discussion and for me, it was really positive being able to have those conversations about why we need to be prioritising the safeguarding of vulnerable young people on the network.

There was definitely a sense in the room that this was the first of many meetings like this, and we’re excited to get going planning the next one!”

Rina Dabhi, Railway Children UK Programme Director

Ahead of upcoming government plans to reform the railway, we want to ensure that safeguarding remains a priority and is written into new legislation and guidance.

Missed this event? Join us next time!

We’re already planning our next event to continue the conversation on the future of rail.

If you’re interested in attending, please register your interest by contacting us at: hello@railwaychildren.org.uk. We look forward to seeing you there!