By Rob Morgan, Digital Product Manager (NRE) Propositions and Marketing, Rail Delivery Group

It was an honour to have been asked to represent the United Kingdom, along with colleagues at Network Rail, at the annual Trainbow Europe conference in Vienna, Austria on 9^th and 10^th September. The conference is a fantastic opportunity for the LGBT+ employee networks of rail undertakings across Europe to gather together to share our stories, our best practice, and the successes and hardships that have affected LGBT+ employees and customers across the railway.

The conference had a great turnout with 40 delegates from France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, the UK and of course Austria, in attendance.

This was the third year that the UK has been represented, having hosted the conference in York in 2021, and each year the membership is increasing.

Highlights included a trip along the Danube river to an Austrian wine tavern in the town of Krems an der Donau (about 70km from Vienna) for a traditional Austrian lunch; a welcome reception on the 23^rd floor of the ÖBB Building with incredible views across Vienna at sunset; and a working lunch with the CEO, Andreas Matthä, where he talked about the importance of diversity and inclusion, and how the railway needs to reflect the customers it serves.

It was a fantastic opportunity to represent the UK, and the incredible work our railway, to our European counterparts.

Picture courtesy of ©wexplore/ öbb