The British Rail Minister, Huw Merriman, has launched the latest First of a Kind (FOAK) competition under which the companies will be awarded more than GBP 6 million (EUR 7 million) for rail innovation ideas.
The winning projects will be awarded a share of GBP 5.3 million (EUR 6.18 million) of Department for Transport funding and a further GBP 1 million (GBP 1.16 million) of HS2 Ltd funding.
The companies will demonstrate innovation, cost efficiency and increasing value for money as part of the wider goal to make British railways financially sustainable. Under the themes of cost efficiency and increasing value for money, the competition is inviting applicants to put forward proposals for technology that can offer a better customer experience, more reliable services and improved methods to install high-speed rail systems that could slash installation times.
For the first time, this year’s competition is in partnership with HS2 Ltd, which is offering GBP 1 million of funding for rail innovation projects to speed up or cut costs of high speed rail systems installations.
“This is an incredible opportunity not just for businesses but for the entire rail industry. Every year, this competition brings together the best and the brightest whose talent and ingenuity help to solve problems we’re facing and drive our railways forward,” the Rail Minister said.
This year’s competition follows on from six successful rounds and a total of almost GBP 50 million (EUR 58.3 million) in funding, which has seen a range of innovative projects hit the market and improve the day-to-day running of the railways. This includes Seat Frog’s Train Swap product, used across eight operators, which allows passengers to swap train tickets without having to purchase a new one, as well as bid for last-minute first-class upgrades; Hack Partners’ Hubble technology, which uses train-mounted cameras to identify and address lineside maintenance issues, such as faults with overhead lines, reducing delay times and costly repairs; and Transreport’s technology, which enables passengers with disabilities to request assistance quickly and easily while on the move, as well as keeping them updated on any disruption on their journeys.
There are also a number of winning projects in the pipeline, which are set to become commercial in the coming years. This includes the University of Birmingham’s project developing hydrogen-powered trains, which will be crucial to decarbonising the railways and achieving the UK’s net zero plans.
Further funding is also being awarded to two of FOAK’s 2022 winners, so that they may enter the second phase of testing, giving them a better chance of being brought into commercial use. The two projects have been granted almost GBP 1.5 million (EUR 1.75 million) in additional funding between them as they represent the most promising projects as part of the ‘low emissions and a greener railway’ theme.
One of the two projects aims at making easier train batteries charging and the other one is using kinetic energy to cut emissions from diesel trains.
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