Situated in both Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire and Tuxford, Nottinghamshire; Network Rail’s two Rail, Innovation and Development Centres (RIDC) play a key role in the development of new rail systems across the UK, providing testing grounds within a large sandbox for those looking to introduce new technologies to the industry.
The sites, which first opened in the 1960s, have been responsible for both the testing & aiding of certification for dozens and dozens of train systems and solutions, offering high-tech, modern facilities for those looking to test solutions in real-world conditions with ETCS testing and high-speed rail conditioning facilities.
However, despite offerings of a comprehensive, real-life simulation, the sites are often underutilised and overlooked.
At Rolling Stock Networking 2025, Gareth Dennis, Network Rail, states that Network Rail is not only aware of a lack of interest in the two RIDC sites, but has begun actively seeking change, beginning with a total rebrand of the facilities to now be known simply as Test Tracks.
With its new name, Test Tracks is hoping to change public perception of its services – enticing a whole host of potential new users in doing so.
Looking to right the wrongs of the past several years, Dennis agrees that the sites have simply not been doing enough to bring new projects to the two sites. He states that they haven’t been doing enough ‘all-up testing’ and that site rental costs have been deemed prohibitive, as have the complexities of transferring projects onto the sites themselves.
Years of running trains over and over has meant that site capacity has remained limited – something the arm of Network Rail is looking to change with a more transparent availability policy going forward. It is also planning to begin showcasing the projects currently undergoing testing at the sites – helping those looking to collaborate with partners across the industry to find their next potential product pairing.
Test Tracks has also recently launched a public consultation in order to gain opinions and feedback on how best to make the functionality of the sites work best for those looking to test their new solutions, with an end goal of establishing a number of workstreams for initiatives going forward.
In order to facilitate the upcoming changes, large amounts of money are currently being invested to upgrade site infrastructure and bring testing equipment up to truly modern standards, with work now being discussed to begin collaborating with a number of other test sites in the name of future rail advancement.
In addition to a number of more general refinements; Test Tracks now begun looking to introduce a brand-new, state-of-the-art ‘Station of the Future’ in order to allow companies developing new passenger information systems the chance to test their solutions in a real-life environment just the same as rolling stock system manufacturers are able to test theirs.
The UK’s railway currently has a driving goal of doubling both passenger and freight capacity across the country by 2040 – and this will only be achieved through innovation. Test Tracks is looking to offer companies aiming to provide this innovation a chance to pilot their solution in an environment that, for all intents and purposes, is as close to the ‘real thing’ as you can get.
Dennis began his talk at RSN with a specific analogy – comparing the testing and certification process of the Apollo 4 space mission with the rail industry today. System tests within system tests dilute goals further and further, and with trains becoming increasingly more complex, collaboration is becoming even more than just necessary – it’s now completely crucial, and with the UK’s rail network on a fast-track to nationalisation, what better time than now?
