The people
Rail Insights is built on doctoral research at Liverpool John Moores University, combining freight rail operations expertise with applied machine intelligence.
Core team
PhD Researcher
Liverpool John Moores University
Doctoral researcher investigating decision intelligence for UK freight rail operations. Abdullah's work combines real-time network data, capacity modelling, and operational analytics to support planners and operators in making faster, more defensible decisions under constraint.
Supervisor
Liverpool John Moores University · LOOM Research Institute
Professor of Operational Research in Transportation at LJMU and co-director of the Liverpool Logistics, Offshore and Marine (LOOM) Research Institute, a leading centre for risk assessment, safety analysis, and transport and logistics research. Prof. Nguyen's work spans intelligent optimisation and decision support for complex operational systems.
Supervisor
School of Engineering and Built Environment · LJMU · LOOM Research Institute
Professor of Marine Engineering and Technology at the School of Engineering and Built Environment, Liverpool John Moores University, and a core member of the LOOM Research Institute. Prof. Blanco-Davis joined LJMU in 2015 and has built an internationally recognised research profile at the interface of maritime decarbonisation, ship systems design, and human factors in marine operations.
Research context
This research is conducted within the Freeport and Net Zero Transport Thematic Doctoral Pathways doctoral training programme, supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and affiliated with the iCURE programme.
The work is grounded in live UK rail operations data and developed in close consultation with freight operators and infrastructure managers, ensuring findings are operationally relevant from the outset.
