London North Eastern Railway, LNER, will be working with five startups around the world to accelerate new projects to improve UK rail travel. The accelerator projects are part of LNER's new innovation programme, LNER FutureLabs.
Startups were invited to pitch their ideas in different areas – More Journeys, More Often, Personalised Customer Experience and Responsible Business.
Following two pitch days with startups, all held via Microsoft Teams; the team has selected five startups to take forward.
- QikServe, from Edinburgh, will be using self-serve technology to deliver an at-seat customer experience.
- Skidnz, a leader in AR based in Middlesborough, will be looking at creating a personalised map and information for passengers.
- Iomob, based in Barcelona, will be aiming to encourage more passengers to travel by train through the use of technology that supports better mobility.
- Green City Solutions, from Berlin, will be working to provide clean air spaces as part of LNER's plan.
- Sirenum will be looking through advanced systems for LNER's headquarters in London.
Danny Gonzalez, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at LNER, said: “It was fantastic to hear from startups from as far away as North America and the Middle East about how they would apply their innovative approaches to the UK rail industry. There was tough competition, but we have selected five startups that will now move onto the next stage of the accelerator programme and to see some of the ideas start to come to life. They certainly have the potential to make a real difference to the lives of our customers, communities and colleagues.”
Beginning next week, the startups will receive access to LNER's operational environments and one-to-one mentoring from team members to develop a proof of concepts.
A Demo Day will then be held in Central London in September.
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That’s actually good for LNER. Bravo. Is LNER planning to introduce more new services with Azuma Class 800 and Class 801 IETs working on the East Coast Main Line.
Why not introduce new services that LNER might operate on such as from London Kings Cross to Middlesbrough, Stockton, Scarborough, Hartlepool, Grimsby, Cleethorpes, Whitby, Battersby, Saltburn and Redcar Central.
As they are working on existing services from London KX to Harrogate, Lincoln, Leeds, Hull, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh Waverley, Bradford Forster Square, Perth, Aberdeen, Inverness and Sunderland.