James Connolly

16 May 2025
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Accelerating Digital Transformation in CP7: Insights from Rail Forum’s Industry Innovation Event

Recently, we had the privilege of presenting at the Rail Forum's “Maximising Opportunities in CP7: Innovation for Industry Performance” event at Villa Park in Birmingham.

It was an inspiring opportunity to discuss the practical realities of digital transformation—and how innovation, when delivered effectively, can unlock real performance gains across the rail industry.

At eviFile, we’ve seen firsthand what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to deploying digital tools at scale. Our session focused on three core themes:

Why Digital Transformation is Critical for CP7

As we enter CP7, the pressure on rail organisations is greater than ever. The industry faces a perfect storm of challenges:
  • Low margins and increased commercial pressure
  • Demanding timelines and tight delivery schedules
  • Rising customer and regulator expectations
  • A growing emphasis on ESG compliance
  • Escalating risk of litigation and cost overruns
These pressures aren’t going away—if anything, they’re intensifying. That’s why digital transformation isn’t optional in CP7. It’s essential.

By shifting to a data-driven delivery model, organisations can gain better control, improve collaboration, and make faster, more informed decisions. And when done right, digital transformation becomes a key enabler for performance, compliance, and resilience.

The Key Pillars of Effective Digital Transformation

During the session, we outlined the foundational elements needed to make digital transformation truly effective—not just another initiative that fails to scale:
  • Strategic Clarity: Start by defining the outcome. What are you trying to achieve? Aligning digital programmes with business goals is crucial.
  • Information Management & Connected Data: Eliminate data silos and build a single source of truth—from BIM and planning tools to field data and asset databases.
  • Stakeholder Engagement: From day one, engage your people. Bring the supply chain with you. Communicate benefits clearly and share best practices early.
  • Technology Readiness: Don’t deploy tech that isn’t ready. Ensure your tools integrate well, scale fast, and solve real problems—not just add complexity.
  • Adoption and Change Management: Digital success depends on people. Invest in training, use champions to lead change, and track success at every step.
  • Scalability: Think big. Build systems and structures that allow you to move fast, replicate success, and drive improvement across programmes and regions.

Lessons Learned: Sharing Best Practice from the Field

We backed up our talk with real-world examples from the projects we’ve supported across the UK rail network, focusing on the work we do with TRU (Transpennine Route Upgrade)

Key takeaways included:
  • Start Small, Think Big: Prove value quickly on focused use cases (e.g., possessions management, assurance reporting), then scale across disciplines.
  • Support Users & Stakeholders: Deliver ongoing training and clear governance to embed transformation.
  • Capture and Share Wins: Visibility of success stories creates momentum. From real-time dashboards to audit-ready data capture, when people see the benefits, adoption follows.
By digitising compliance workflows in the utility sector, organisations can shift from reactive monitoring to predictive oversight—reducing downtime, avoiding incidents, and ensuring fast, accurate regulatory reporting.

Final Thoughts

Digital transformation isn’t about ticking a technology box. It’s about enabling better decisions, improving delivery, and meeting the demands of CP7 head-on.

If you missed the session or want to continue the conversation and explore how eviFile can help accelerate your digital transformation, we’d love to show you what’s possible.

Request a demo today and see how we’re helping rail organisations digitise delivery, reduce risk, and drive performance.

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