What is the Watford Conference?
The Watford Conference is convened by the Watford Group to fulfil its aim of
developing and maintaining the highest quality of railway related design through the
interchange of ideas across international boundaries.
The Watford Group was inaugurated in 1963 by architects and designers from the
railway administrations of United Kingdom (British Rail), the Netherlands and Sweden, and named after one of its former meeting places, the British Rail Training Centre in Watford in southern England.
Since the first international conference was held in Switzerland in 1989, the conference has been hosted by many different railway administrations internationally, the last being hosted by the Land Transport Authority in Singapore in 2022. The 2025 conference coincides with the bicentenary of the railways in the UK and will focus on the theme of Legacy, allowing it to explore the Past, the Present, and also the legacy being planned for the Future in considering the new design challenges that the railways face internationally.
The conference includes a full programme of formal activities in London from the 24th to 26th September, including talks by invited speakers who are acknowledged experts in their field, presentations by conference delegates on their projects; and guided tours of key UK rail and metro Infrastructure such as the new Elizabeth Line, the Thameslink programme central London stations, and the proposed station being constructed for HS2 at Old Oak Common.
The conference will also host the Brunel Awards, given to railway companies, to encourage outstanding visual design in railway architecture, graphics, industrial design and art, technical infrastructure and environmental integration, and rolling stock. The programme will also include more informal social events to allow delegates to network and exchange knowledge and ideas.
The conference is being organised by Network Rail, HS2, TfL and East West Rail.