Simon Blainey

Professor Simon Blainey is a Professor of Sustainable Transport and incoming Director of the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) from July 2025. He holds roles at the University of Birmingham's School of Engineering and Department of Civil Engineering. Previously, he worked at the University of Southampton as Head of the Transportation Research Group (TRG). His expertise spans rail transport systems, GIS-based modelling, and sustainable transport policy.

Education:

• PhD in Transport Geography (University of Southampton, 2010)
• MSc in Transport (Imperial College London & UCL, 2006)
• BA (Hons) in Geography (University of Oxford, 2005)

Research Interests: Simon focuses on the interdependencies between transport systems and societal/environmental factors. Key areas include rail demand modelling, GIS applications in transport, decision support systems for resilient infrastructure, and climate policy integration. His work emphasizes practical policy impact through collaboration with stakeholders.

Key Projects:

• RATIN: Ordnance Survey-funded active travel network datasets (2022–2024)
• FCDO-funded decision support systems for low-income countries' transport networks (2020–2023)

Awards & Memberships:

• Smeed Prize (2009)
• Fellow, Royal Geographical Society (FRGS)
• Member, Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (MCIHT)
• Editor-in-Chief, Transportation Planning and Technology

Professional Roles:

• Member of the Department for Transport’s College of Experts
• Adviser to the House of Lords Built Environment Committee (2022)
• Editorial Board Member, Journal of Transport Geography

Labs/Teams: Leads the BCRRE, a multidisciplinary center advancing railway innovation. Active in railway operations management education and supervises postgraduate students in sustainable transport topics.