The UK Department for Transport (DfT) has announced that it will provide £5m in funding for 26 rail projects to boost passenger experience.
In partnership with Innovate UK, working closely with Network Rail and train operators, the First of a Kind competition offers grant funding for projects to be tested on the railway.
DfT hopes that the competition will provide smaller or under recognised companies a chance at being bought by train operators, freight companies and Network Rail.
Among the winning projects is IntelliPan Network, which will reduce delays for passengers by using AI to detect faults on overhead lines, eliminating dangerous, service-disrupting dewirements.
READ MORE: More than 50 rail and road upgrades greenlit by UK DfT
Another successful project, SafeRide 5G, will seek to empower passengers to report incidents using their own devices safely and privately via onboard Wi-Fi, boosting response times and removing key barriers to reporting, improving passenger safety.
DfT also stated that previous competition winners are already being used widely across the railways, like the Portable Track Geometry Measurement System.
This innovation provides immediate track information to engineers to speed up the lifting of speed restrictions or line closures, getting passengers to their destinations quicker.
UK rail minister Lord Peter Hendy said: “The winners of this competition are taking cutting-edge technology to address some of the biggest challenges facing the rail industry, making a railway that works better for the people and goods using it.
“These innovations are putting safety, reliability and passenger experience first, like IntelliPan Network using AI to detect faults on overhead lines, reducing disruption caused by dangerous dewirements.
“Through this funding, we are building a platform on which innovation can thrive, giving new technologies a chance to succeed and driving economic growth as part of the Plan for Change.”
Achievements and innovations in rail will be recognised and celebrated at the fourth annual CiTTi Awards on 25 November 2025 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.cittiawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable event for the UK’s transportation sector!
