The Department for Transport has launched a new round of its First of a Kind (FOAK) competition, offering 5 million GBP in government funding to trial new technologies to improve passenger experience across the rail network.
Run in partnership with Innovate UK, the FOAK competition is now in its eighth year. This round puts a strong emphasis on making rail travel more accessible, safer, and environmentally sustainable.
The competition supports projects with the potential to be rolled out commercially by train operating companies, freight providers and infrastructure managers.
This year’s themes have been shaped by consultation with the rail industry to ensure the funding addresses some of its most pressing challenges. The competition seeks to support innovations that can improve safety, boost accessibility, reduce environmental impact, and use AI and data to increase reliability.
One of the key areas of focus is level boarding, designed to ensure that passengers who use wheelchairs or have other access needs can get from street to seat without assistance. This reflects a wider policy priority to remove barriers to independent travel.
It also focuses on passenger safety, particularly technology that could improve the reporting and handling of incidents such as anti-social behaviour or harassment. According to the Department for Transport, such improvements aim to support efforts to increase public confidence in using rail, particularly outside peak hours.
Rail Minister Lord Peter Hendy said:This competition addresses the biggest challenges facing the rail industry, taking cutting-edge technology and bringing it onto the railways by turning ideas into reality.
This funding builds a platform for boosting innovation on the railway, giving new technologies a chance to succeed, supporting economic growth as part of the Plan for Change.
We are creating a railway that works better for the people who use it and making lasting progress for passengers and freight by improving accessibility, safety, and reliability to prevent disruption before it happens.
Applications for this round of the FOAK competition are open until 28 May. An online briefing for interested applicants will be held on 8 April.
