New innovative technology to reduce environmental impact and better passenger experience across the UK

Grant Shapps, Transport Secretary, has announced the winners for 2020’s First of a Kind (FOAK) competitions, which sees people and groups across the UK create clever technologies to make the rail travel greener and a better experience for passengers.

This year has seen many new and fantastic ideas submitted, from big firms to universities. Below is the list of the categories, successful groups and their innovations:

Customer Experience

1. Train Swap Seatfrog Ops Limited – Develops of “Seatfrog Train Swap” app, allowing quick and remote seat reservation changes by passengers.
2. Dynamic Capacity Management Esoterix Systems Ltd – Utility-style ticketing that adjusts to travel patterns and rewards particular choices, using a monthly subscription that will help customers to save money on a large upfront fee
3. Hive Composites Ltd – Using state-of-the-art lightweight composite poles along tracks to provide reliable 5G connections to power onboard WiFi to passengers.
4. Sheffield Hallam University – Low-energy concrete slabs which heat up in cold conditions to melt ice.
5. LAMINAR iProov – Demonstrates how biometrics can dramatically enhance the passenger experience, reduce congestion, improve safety and enhance security.
6. Ingram Networks Ltd – High-speed and cost-effective Track to Train communications.

Environmental Sustainability

1. Unipart Rail Ltd – Trac Rail Transposer (TRT-e), a zero-emissions machine that removes and replaces rails.
2. Porterbrook – Less Oil, Cleaner Exhaust by modifying Class 170 Turbostar units.
3. Steamology Motion Ltd – Using a steam turbine powered by hydrogen to provide zero-emissions freight locomotives.
4. Daybreak Riding Sunbeams Ltd – Providing renewable energy for overhead electrified railway lines.
5. Resi-Glaze Far-UK Ltd – Developing new glazing solutions to increase passenger safety and reduce CO2 emissions where possible.
6. HydroFLEX Raft Production BCRRE – Development of hydrogen-powered passenger trains.
7. Associated Utility Supplies (AUS) Ltd – Using fibre reinforced polymer to produce footbridges, which have a lower environmental impact and easier to install over steel bridges.

Optimised and Cost-Effective Maintenance

1. rcm Ltd – Optical fibre sensors that monitor the condition of switches and crossings on railway tracks.
2. Perpetuum Ltd – Train Axle Crack Monitoring (TAMON), assesses axles for cracks via sensors and pattern-recognition technologies.
3. University of Sheffield – High-Speed Cryogenic Blasting for Rail Cleaning, preventing low adhesion and slow running of trains.
4. InnoTamp Fugro – Data gathering to ensure the maintenance of optimum rail alignment.
5. Thermal Radiometry for the Remote Condition Monitoring of Railway Vehicles Rail Innovations  – Uses thermal radiometry camera technology to measure temperatures of mechanical systems on moving trains. This enables automatic alarms to be sent over the Internet in the event of an over-temperature occurrence.

Optimised Railway Operations

1. Associated Utility Supplies (AUS) Ltd – Efficient way for overhead line equipment renewals.
2. Cogitare Ltd – Trainserv Software, allows staff to receive real-time information to help handle incidents and improve service.
3. Garrandale Ltd – Cleartrak on Train Testing (CoTT), Innovative and efficient system for processing toilet waste, reducing cost and maintenance requirements.
4. Liverpool John Moores University – IRIS: Information system for railway station staff. A new kind of information system for frontline station staff to enhance communication and enable them to help passengers in making travel decisions/planning more effectively.
5. Vortex IoT Ltd – Railway Optical Detection and Obstructions-Tunnel & Station Monitoring, using a sensor to monitor track condition, with any issues reported to the rail control centre.
6. JBA Consulting – Monitoring routes prone to flooding, compiling data and alerting Network Rail to minimise risk and resolve the issues.
7. CoCatalyst Ltd – On-board sensors detect slippery rails, with water being sprayed to improve train traction and braking, and prevent subsequent services from being affected.

Each of these 25 firms will have access to a fund of £9.4 million to develop and improve the ideas to help improve the UK’s rail network. As can be seen from the wide of variety of designs, there is great potential for these to be implemented, improving safety and reducing environmental impacts.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I am delighted to announce the winners of this year’s FOAK competition, which will support better, more environmentally friendly journeys. Crucially, these pioneering projects will also ensure that passengers have a more efficient, reliable and responsive railway, making their journeys simpler and easier.

From clever technology on platforms to prevent icy surfaces, new ‘seat-switching’ apps and improved 5G WiFi connections, harnessing innovation will be crucial to modernising the network and making our railways greener and cleaner, as we build beyond coronavirus (COVID-19) and look to the future.”

Innovate UK’s Executive Chair Ian Campbell said: “These high-quality projects illustrate the appetite of UK organisations to develop new and exciting innovations for rail transport that improve customers’ user experience, optimise railway efficiency, and are environmentally sustainable. Now in its fourth year, the competition was open to organisations of all sizes and sectors whose technologies could help to create a greener, more cost-effective and customer-friendly railway with greater capacity.

Previous winners include new technology from Porterbrook in partnership with emissions specialist Eminox, which successfully reduced harmful emissions from diesel trains by over 90%. South Western Railway completed a six-month trial in March of the technology that saw an emissions reduction system fitted to the exhaust of a Class 159 train used by passengers between Waterloo and Exeter.

The trial delivered immediate reductions in pollution from nitrous oxides by over 80% and hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter by more than 90%, and is the first successful transfer of proven automotive technology to a rail environment. OpenSpace Thameslink also received funding for its plans to provide station management with a set of next-generation tools to help with crowd management at London St Pancras International. The project, in conjunction with Govia Thameslink Railway Ltd, immediately found this helped with easing crowds to help maintain social distancing during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.”

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