Bill Guo presenting AI, Rail and Engineering at One Great George Street
AutomateX
Event recap · RCEA × Young Rail Professionals · 24 September 2026

The use of AI in rail

Four talks at One Great George Street for engineers early in their rail careers, put on by the Railway Civil Engineers’ Association and Young Rail Professionals. What happened, the photographs, and Bill’s slides: AI, Rail and Engineering: the why, what and how.

The slides The newsletter
One

What happened.

On Thursday 24 September, the Railway Civil Engineers’ Association and Young Rail Professionals London and South East put on The use of AI in rail at One Great George Street. It was free, open to all, and pitched at engineers in their first few years in rail.

Jian Li Chew, Chair of the RCEA, and Robin Guo, Chair of YRP London and South East, hosted. Four 20-minute talks followed, then a combined Q&A and drinks.

Bill’s talk ran in three parts. Why: the story of the electric motor, and why nobody is 10 years ahead of you, since the tools only became genuinely useful about 3 years ago. What: the work that surrounds the engineering, and what actually changes in the job. How: score one workflow before you automate it, prove it beside the old way, and use it like an engineer. The Code of Conduct still applies when a machine wrote the first draft.

Nobody is 10 years ahead of you. The best placed people in the room are the ones still learning the job.

Bill Guo FICE CEng MEng, Founder, AutomateX
Two

At a glance.

DateThursday 24 September 2026, 18:00 to 20:00, then networking
VenueOne Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA
Organised byRailway Civil Engineers’ Association with Young Rail Professionals London and South East
FormatFour 20-minute talks, a combined Q&A and networking
Bill’s slot18:45, third of four speakers
HostsJian Li Chew, RCEA Chair · Robin Guo, YRP London and South East Chair

The talks

Talk one
Mujadded AlifAutomated railway wheel flange measurement from images using deep learning
Talk two
Jonathan RyanI haven’t written any code this year
Talk three
Bill Guo FICE CEng MEngAI, Rail and Engineering: the why, what and how
Talk four
Jiaxi LiBeyond railway capacity: AI, integrated operational planning and the engineer across boundaries
Three

The evening in pictures.

Mujadded Alif presenting at the lectern
Mujadded Alif on automated wheel flange measurement from images.
Jonathan Ryan presenting beside a slide reading I haven’t written any code this year
Jonathan Ryan: I haven’t written any code this year.
Jiaxi Li presenting at the lectern
Jiaxi Li on AI, integrated operational planning and the engineer across boundaries.
The speakers and hosts standing in front of the feedback slide
Speakers and hosts at the close of the evening.
Four

AI, Rail and Engineering: the why, what and how.

The 13 slides from Bill’s 20 minutes. Use the arrows or the thumbnails, open them full screen, or take the PDF.

Title slide: The use of AI in rail
01/ 13Title
PDF
Five

Take it further.

The starter kit
Start with one workflow.One workflow and two questions, six skills that outlast the tools, a 30-day plan, and five checks for anything AI hands you.Open the starter kit → Also this monthAI and the civil engineer: reimagining roles in infrastructure deliverySee the recap →
The newsletter

The practical version, every fortnight.

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