- winning projects will be awarded a share of £5.3 million of
Department for Transport funding and a further £1 million of HS2
Ltd funding
- winners will demonstrate innovation, cost efficiency and
increasing value for money as part of the wider goal to make our
railways financially sustainable
- previous winners include apps to allow those with
accessibility needs to call for assistance on the move and to
swap train tickets last minute
More than £6 million of government funding has been made
available for companies with innovative ideas to improve
Britain’s railways as Rail Minister, , launched the latest First of a Kind (FOAK) competition today (14 June 2023).
Under the themes of cost efficiency and increasing value for
money, the competition – now in its seventh year – 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 £1 million of funding for
innovations to speed up or cut costs of high speed rail systems
installations.
Rail Minister said:
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.
This year, we’ll be bringing even more trailblazing projects to
life by funding ideas that benefit the passenger, encourage
efficiency and transform our rail network for the better.
This year’s competition follows on from 6 successful rounds and a
total of almost £50 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 8 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
-
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 2 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 2 projects – one that makes it easier to
charge train batteries and the other, which uses kinetic energy
to cut emissions from diesel trains – have been granted almost
£1.5 million in additional funding between them as they represent
the most promising projects as part of the ‘low emissions and a
greener railway’ theme.
To enter the competition, visit:
