DfT Invests £3.6 Million to Support Innovation in Rail
£3.6 million funding from the Department for Transportation (DfT) and Innovate UK has been offered to 10 projects that will transform rail passenger travel. Businesses will demonstrate upgrades to rail travel in real-world environments.
The funding was offered through a First of a Kind competition run by Innovate UK, part of the Department for Transport’s scheme to improve the passenger experience on rail.
Projects Transforming Rail Passenger Travel
The projects will develop and demonstrate technologies that will improve the passenger experience on UK railways. These include:
- a design for train carriages that will increase peak hours seat numbers
- a carriage design that can quickly switch from carrying passengers to carrying goods
- beacons that guide visually-impaired passengers through the station and to their seat
- technology enabling disabled passengers to seek real-time assistance with their journey
- an augmented reality application that highlights a journey’s landmarks
The technologies will be showcased through real-life demonstrators, enabling passengers to experience and feedback on the innovations.
Supporting Innovation in Rail
Rail Minister Jo Johnson said:
We are investing in the biggest rail modernisation programme since Victorian times, introducing the changes that passengers want to see – more frequent services and quicker, more comfortable journeys.
While we have introduced real-time platform information, taken big strides on safety and improved how we manage our railways to accommodate more services on existing tracks, the pace of change can sometimes be slower than we would like to see.
The funding is part of a wider programme of activities to speed up the delivery of new ideas and high-value innovations, which can have a big impact on passengers’ journeys.
Original article © DfT.
FOR ALL THE LATEST INFORMATION, NEWS, IMAGES, VIDEOS AND ARTICLES ON ALL ASPECTS OF RAILWAY SERVICES, PLEASE CLICK HERE
