Next Stop: AI. Why the next challenge for rail is people, not technology

EMBS Group and Peak Intelligence bring Microsoft, CWSI and Fishbone Solutions to Pride Park Stadium on Wednesday 25 November for a practical morning on AI adoption in rail.

For 23 years, EMBS Group has worked alongside some of the largest and most complex engineering organisations in rail. Over that time we’ve seen plenty of new technology arrive with a fanfare. The technology that lasts is the kind people can actually use.

AI is now at that point. In April 2026, the industry published its first joint AI in Rail Action Plan. It commits rail to move beyond isolated pilots and tackle three long-standing barriers: data, governance and skills. A month later, the Office of Rail and Road set out its approach to safe AI innovation, which folds AI risk into existing safety management systems instead of creating a separate rulebook.

The direction is clear. The question for every board is a practical one: how do we get our people using AI safely, at the desk, with the tools we already pay for?

That’s the question Next Stop: AI sets out to answer.

One morning, the whole route

On Wednesday 25 November, EMBS Group and our AI adoption company, Peak Intelligence, are hosting a focused half-day in the Toyota Suite at Pride Park Stadium, Derby. We’ve brought together the partners who cover each part of the journey:

• • Microsoft opens with a keynote on Microsoft 365 Copilot, AI agents and the wider AI ecosystem, with transport and rail examples

• • CWSI shows how to secure and govern Copilot and AI agents at scale

• • Peak Intelligence explains how to turn AI licences into everyday habits across a workforce

• • Fishbone Solutions covers the data foundations that rail AI depends on

Then it’s your turn

The second half of the morning is hands-on. In the Rail AI Basecamp challenge, every table draws one of 20 real rail tasks. These range from turning a near miss into a toolbox talk to writing a board paper on Copilot. Each table uses a simple prompting framework to get a useful answer, then defends it to experts on security, data and governance. Judges score every table, and the winners take home a prize.

The tables are deliberately mixed, so operators, rolling stock manufacturers, infrastructure suppliers and consultancies work side by side. For many people, that will be the most valuable part of the morning.

Why this matters for your workforce

AI capability is fast becoming a skills question as much as a technology one. The organisations that move first will be the ones that give their people the confidence, the guardrails and the time to learn. Our funded learning partner Qualitrain will be on hand to talk through funded routes, including the Level 4 AI apprenticeship. ISO QSL will share how organisations achieve ISO 42001, the international standard for AI management systems.

The hard part of AI isn’t the technology. It’s the people, the skills and the governance. We built this morning around a workshop, not a sales pitch, so every leader leaves with something they can use the next day.

James Wall, Group Director & Co-Owner, EMBS Group

Event details

• • Date: Wednesday 25 November 2026

• • Time: registration from 09:15, close 13:10, networking lunch until 13:30

• • Venue: Toyota Suite, Pride Park Stadium, Derby DE24 8XL

• • Tickets: free for Rail Forum members, £49 for non-members

• • Who it’s for: directors and senior leaders, plus heads of engineering, operations, digital, HR and L&D, and commercial and bid teams

Places are limited to 120.

Next Stop: AI is presented by EMBS Group and Peak Intelligence, with Rail Forum inviting its members, in partnership with Microsoft, CWSI, Fishbone Solutions, Qualitrain and ISO QSL.