We spoke to David Taylor, High Speed Rail Account Director for Thales UK, to reflect upon his career through the rail industry, looking back at his project highlights including his involvement in charity and STEM activities, and why he believes collaboration is essential for the rail industry. 

I understand this year you have celebrated 20 years at Thales, congratulations! Tell me about your career journey, including your time throughout Thales?

My career in rail started 36 years ago, as a British Rail Signal & Telecoms Apprentice in Carlisle. Following a year of working trackside, I progressed onto a student engineering role where I worked in a variety of positions in the design and project office, which gave me an excellent grounding of all of the different parts of the rail sector.

Aside from two years with Cumbria County Council, my entire career has been in the rail sector; working with British Rail, Intercity, Racal, Syseca and Thales. I joined Thales Information Systems in 2000 to lead their entrance into the UK Rail sector, and it’s in these last 20 years that I’ve made the shift from working in technical and product development roles, to my current role in business development. 

What are some of the main projects you’ve worked on?

The first project I was involved in was a CCTV project in Mersey Rail, way back in 1989. Since then, I’ve been involved in a range of projects and have lead many opportunities. This includes the National Real Time Train Information Service which later became Darwin, the National Rail Communications Centre (NRCC), The Online Journey Planner, Revenue Management, and the first deployments of Traffic Management. What’s great about these projects is that so many involve collaboration with other organisations with complementary capabilities.

Have you had a favourite project that you’ve worked on?

Darwin was a project that I particularly enjoyed. It’s a centralised train information system, which delivers easily accessible, accurate and consistent timetable updates. What’s so special about the Darwin project is that it made real time information available for passengers across the country, by utilising existing data. It’s great to see so many services delivered using this data, often by SMEs who have grown as a result. 

I’m really proud looking back at the difference these solutions are making, and it’s brilliant to see how those delivery teams have grown as a result.

Thinking back to the start of your career, what inspired you to get into the rail sector?

So I have to confess that my dad was a signaller, and actually quite a famous signaller because he averted a major incident on the west coast mainline, which ultimately kept the west coast mainline open. He sadly passed away before I became an apprentice, but I think he would have been really pleased to see me working in rail. What’s really interesting now, is that my youngest daughter is also working in the rail sector after starting as an apprentice; so I’m very proud of her! 
I was fortunate enough to get involved with lots of different things during my apprenticeship, which has really helped me to build business and develop relationships throughout the career. This has been instrumental, as even as a large company, we haven’t got the answers to everything. Collaboration with other organisations just creates such a great dynamic; you are always challenging one another to come up with better and more innovative solutions. 

For anyone considering a career in rail, I would actively encourage it. As a STEM ambassador, I’m constantly reflecting on the opportunities available to young people in the sector, particularly at how we can get more women and girls involved in these areas. There is such a diverse range of opportunities within rail, and not just in engineering; there really is something for everyone!

You’re a real advocate for Thales’ partner charities. Tell me about the activities you’re involved in and the charities you support?

I’ve been very closely involved with The Railway Children since about 2000. It’s a fantastic charity which exists to provide help to vulnerable children in conditions of need, particularly those living on the streets in India, Africa, and here in the UK. The Railway Children is such a well-run charity, and it’s great to play a part in raising money on behalf of them, whilst having the opportunity to get together with other colleagues in the rail industry.

September 2021 marked my 14th time completing the Three Peaks challenge by Rail in aid of this charity, a joint record I proudly hold with one other! I’m over the moon that our 12 strong Thales team raised over £10k, a significant contribution to this event. I will continue doing as much as I can to support the charity and encourage others to do the same.

Where do you see the future of the rail sector, in terms of greener journeys and digitisation?

The most attractive things about rail transportation is the role in can play in reducing carbon emissions. It’s not just about investing in clean rail services, it’s about thinking about carbon in everything we do. Digital Technologies such as energy optimising solutions for rolling stock can play a huge part in in making rail greener, whilst improving the reliability of rail infrastructure and services. Companies like Thales are well placed to help, with solutions designed specifically to reduce carbon emissions such as Green Speed and TIRIS. As individuals and as companies we need to be constantly challenging ourselves to do more, with everything we do measured in terms of its carbon impact.