Clark Lecture 2026: How to Deliver Transport Infrastructure Megaprojects: Lessons from HS2

Great Britain appears to have made development of new railway infrastructure almost impossible, and even upgrading and renewing existing railway very expensive, compared with other countries. Professor McNaughton will explore some of the reasons for this drawing on experience from developing HS2, advising on other major upgrades and renewal programmes. He will offer some comparisons with other countries and industries from personal knowledge and then argue what needs to change at all stages, from scheme conception to completion, and operation, if railways in Great Britain are to offer an affordable, sustainable, transport system in the coming decade.

Agenda: 

Speaker biography

Professor Andrew McNaughton is an internationally recognised railway engineer who is currently Chair of Network Rail (High Speed) Ltd and Professor of Infrastructure Management at the University of Southampton. He is also an advisor to the British and other Governments on developing and managing major rail infrastructure.

Andrew's early career was with British Rail and then Railtrack before becoming Chief Engineer of Network Rail in 2001 where he was responsible for the standards, engineering strategy, investment approval and safety of Britain’s national rail infrastructure. During this period he helped lead major programmes to modernise the railway and improve reliability and capacity across the network and chaired European Committees on rail research and development and on infrastructure management..

In 2009 he became the Chief Engineer and Technical Director of HS2 Ltd. In this role he led the early engineering development of the UK’s high-speed rail programme, overseeing route engineering, technical standards, environmental integration, and system design for what became the High Speed 2 project. He led the planning authorisation process through Parliament as Principal Witness. In this time he also chaired the World InterCity and High Speed Committee. From 2017, he has acted as a Government Advisor in the Czech Republic and Australian on new and upgraded rail development.

Andrew is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, Institution of Civil Engineering and Engineering Technology, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the Royal Geographical Society.

About the lecture series

The Clark Lecture, named in honour of Emeritus Professor Leslie Clark's many contributions to engineering, is a highlight of the University of Birmingham School of Engineering's academic year. Past speakers include Presidents of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Presidents of the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE), Chief Scientific Advisors, and leaders from industry and academia.

Les Clark joined the University of Birmingham in 1978 as a lecturer. He went on to become Professor of Structural Engineering and retired in 2009 as Head of School and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Estates and Infrastructure, picking up a wealth of awards and publishing a significant volume of papers along the way. Les is well known for his work on the committees of the Institution of Civil Engineers, the American Concrete Institute and the Concrete Society. In 2000, Les was awarded an OBE for services to structural engineering research.