RCEA Annual conference: environmental challenges for major transport infrastructure projects

Jane Wright

Jane is a systems engineer leading the development of environment and sustainability tools, training and processes in Transport for London's capital delivery office. She sits on the Institution of Civil Engineers Decarbonisation Community Advisory Board.

Stephen McCormick

Over thirty-two years’ experience in Rail, starting with British Rail’s InterCity Civil Engineering Design Group, Swindon. This was followed with 10 years working on Thameslink, of which six years was spent on London Bridge Station Redevelopment.

Over a 25-year period, I was Co-Founder and Director of two consultancy practices providing design services to the railway industry.

Currently, Network Rail’s Lead Discipline Engineer working on Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) covering TRU East, West and Central.

Dr Peter Winslow

Dr Pete Winslow is fellow of the ICE and an experienced technical and company director with 20 years’ experience, across engineering design and then latterly in engineering-led advisory for infrastructure projects. He co-leads Expedition IPC, providing independent advice to infrastructure clients as diverse as the EA,  Hinkley Point C, HS2 and National Highways.  From the wider portfolio of productivity improvement work, low carbon engineering is a particular passion of Pete’s.  

Key projects have included driving cost and carbon improvements on the record breaking HS2 Old Oak Common Station, decarbonising Network Rail’s network-wide platform renewals (for which the team was awarded the NCE Techfest Carbon prize), and the Environment Agency’s low carbon concrete standards update.

Expedition IPC are part of the Useful Simple Trust; an employee-owned B Corp and Registered Social Enterprise, with a mission to provide a better built environment. In line with this mission, Pete was a peer reviewer for the Low Carbon Concrete Routemap and is a workstream lead in the ICE/GCB Low Carbon Concrete Group. Pete co-devised the Infrastructure Client Group Low Carbon Concrete Accelerator – aiming to be a demand-led programme to align and implement key elements of the Routemap.

Pete chairs the IStructE Research Panel, bringing a major focus on ‘research into practice’ in response to the climate emergency and other key sector challenges; he has published over 40 papers and articles. Pete sits on the i3P Delivery Leadership Group and on the CARES Sustainable Constructional Steels Committee. Most recently has was asked by the DfT to advise the new Calcined Clay Taskforce, on its mission to scale up this crucial low carbon concrete ingredient.

Dr Tom Mclenachan

Dr Tom Mclenachan is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Infrastructure Carbon team at the Department for Transport, UK. His work focusses on driving consistent whole life carbon assessment in infrastructure, building carbon management capability and supporting carbon reduction strategies in DfT and across Government.

He has contributed to key technical standards, for example sitting on the Technical Advisory Panel for the update to PAS 2080, and Government Guidance, such as IPA’s Best Practice in Benchmarking. He has represented Government at COP 26 and joined the ICE’s Carbon Champion Review Panel in 2022 – recognising exceptional performance in carbon reduction.

He is also the co-founder and Executive Director of Equal Aqua, an international NGO that is tacking inequalities in access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in East Africa, as well as addressing associated environmental issues. Working primarily in Uganda, Equal Aqua’s flagship projects include building rainwater harvesting tanks for schools from recycled plastic bottles, leading menstrual hygiene workshops for community groups, and restoring biodiversity through tree planting and other activities. In 2020 Equal Aqua was awarded the Points of Light Commonwealth award for its pioneering work in the WASH sector.