13 July 2015
Leading train operators granted innovation funding
Three leading train operating companies, Arriva UK Trains, Govia Thameslink Railway and First
Great Western, have been awarded access to a £6m collaborative innovation fund as a result of
entering RSSB’s Train Operator Competition 2015 (TOC’15).
TOC’15, a competition facilitated by RSSB’s Future Railway Programme, was launched in March
by Transport Minister Claire Perry. Proposals were sought from industry to contribute to the 4C
industry targets (Improving Customer experience and Capacity whilst reducing Cost and Carbon)
outlined in the Rail Technical Strategy.
All three winners have a strong focus on their customers: Arriva UK Trains intend to develop and
trial a “buy now pay later” scheme, Govia Thameslink Railway are looking at overcrowding and
First Great Western intend to improve disruption management and to empower the passenger
during delays.
The three organisations will now move forward to Stage 2, in which the organisation will be
invited to submit detailed plans for the innovation projects and partnerships proposed in the
submissions for Stage 1.
Transport Minister Claire Perry said:
“We are investing record amounts in providing better journeys for passengers across the UK as
part of our long-term economic plan. Innovation is the key to delivering this commitment, and I
am delighted to see industry rise to the challenge with three strong bids that put passengers at
the heart of their business. I look forward to seeing their progress and I hope other rail
companies are inspired by these examples.”
David Clarke, RSSB Director of Innovation, commented:
“We received nine entries to the TOC’15 competition, covering six owning groups, 13 TOCs, two
ROSCOs , four universities, and some 42 delivery partners. This speaks volumes about how keen
TOCs are to lead innovation and to make a difference.
T: +44 (0)20 3142 5300
F: +44 (0)20 3142 5663
Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited
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Reg No. 04655675
“The variety of the entries we received illustrates that there are some great ideas out there
which we can now start to develop and trial.
“To repeat what Claire Perry said at the TOC’15 launch in March, innovation is vital to the rail
industry as passenger numbers and customer expectations continue to rise. We look forward to
working with these train operators and taking their ideas to the next stage to deliver benefits to
the industry.”
For further information about the TOC’15 competitions visit:
http://www.futurerailway.org/innovation/Pages/Closed-competitions-and-challenges.aspx
-EndsFor further information, please contact Emma Martin, Media Relations Manager via
emma.martin@rssb.co.uk or 020 3142 5653. Alternatively, contact RSSB’s main press office line
via pressoffice@rssb.co.uk or 020 3142 5400.
Notes to Editors:
About RSSB
RSSB is an expert, not for profit, membership body which supports the rail industry to improve
safety and operational performance. We bring organisations together from across the industry
to help deliver benefits to passengers and businesses while providing value to the taxpayer. Our
members include infrastructure companies, train and freight operators, rolling stock owners and
suppliers to the industry.
Website: www.rssb.co.uk Twitter: @RSSB_rail
About RSSB’s Future Railway Programme
RSSB’s Future Railway Programme was established to support innovation in the delivery of the
Rail Technical Strategy (RTS). It has cross industry support through the Technical Strategy
Leadership Group, run by RSSB. It promotes innovation by supporting cross-industry
demonstrator projects and seeking out innovative ideas and proposals from across the industry.
The approach is to: understand the challenges that industry faces; connect potential innovators
with these challenges; and, where necessary with potential funding.
Website: www.futurerailway.org Twitter: @FutureRailway
T: +44 (0)20 3142 5300
F: +44 (0)20 3142 5663
Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited
The Helicon, 1 South Place
Registered office:
The Helicon, 1 South Place
www.rssb.co.uk
London EC2M 2RB
London EC2M 2RB
Reg No. 04655675
About the finalists
Arriva UK Trains
Arriva UK trains have put together a compelling portfolio focused on the strongly linked themes
of big data and passengers.
The data theme focuses on producing a coordinated data infrastructure and the tools to exploit
it. This will allow the generation of new insights into the railway operation and speed up getting
information to the people that need it. Network Rail and the train manufacturer Bombardier are
both partners for this theme, with additional collaboration coming from the West Midlands
transport authority Centro and specialist expertise from HaCon, Data Alchemist and Enable ID.
The passenger theme aims to provide improved communication and remove barriers to travel
planning and purchase. The goals of the portfolio are to remove the requirement to purchase a
ticket in advance, vastly simplify the fare structure, and keep the passenger connected at all
times, especially during periods of disruption. This will be led by Chiltern railways, who will be
collaborating with Network Rail and Aston University.
These two themes are spread between three train operating companies: Chiltern, Cross-country,
and London Overground Rail Operations Limited.
Projects will take from 1-3 years to complete, with benefits realised 2-4 years from initiation.
The Benefit-Cost ratio is anticipated to be 7.6:1.
Website: http://www.arriva.co.uk/
Govia Thameslink Railway
Govia aims to reduce overcrowding, both in stations and on trains. The portfolio will enable
customers to make informed travel choices, improve the company’s live decision making about
capacity, and enable better strategic planning using historical and forecasted crowd modelling.
This will help reduce overcrowding by dispersing passenger loads across more services.
Govia are partnering with National Rail Enquiries and the University of Southampton to deliver
this capability. The results will be made available for use by the wider industry, enabling
passengers to know which is the emptiest carriage; where are the empty seats, when is the best
time to travel, and letting railway operators make the best decisions about what services to run
and how to respond in real-time to developing challenges.
T: +44 (0)20 3142 5300
F: +44 (0)20 3142 5663
Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited
The Helicon, 1 South Place
Registered office:
The Helicon, 1 South Place
www.rssb.co.uk
London EC2M 2RB
London EC2M 2RB
Reg No. 04655675
The pilot will use the London-Brighton line as a trial route, and include Gatwick Express. It is
expected that the initiatives will start generating benefits in 1-2 years, with a predicted benefitcost ratio of 4:1.
Website: http://www.gtrailway.com/
First Great Western
First Rail Holdings have developed two innovation themes on next generation train Wi-Fi and
the management of train disruption, which will be trialled at First Great Western (FGW).
Future communications technology (mm-wave) has the potential to deliver internet connections
at speeds of over 400Mbps to a train, far in excess of today's Wi-Fi. FGW will be partnering with
Network Rail, the University of Bristol, and Level3 communications in a yearlong research project
to explore this area, which could lead to faster internet connections for passengers.
Passengers consistently rate the ability of train operators to keep them informed during times
of disruption as highly important. Better connectivity is crucial to improving this area. FGW will
be leading three projects in this field, bringing together world class location technology from the
Geo-Intelligence Programme line of Airbus Defence and Space and specialist capability from
sources such as IPL, Microsoft, and Worldine. The partners will generate data for a hackathon to
design templates for operators to help manage disruption, and a real time information app will
be developed that will be used by rail passengers to help manage their journey. This will be led
by FGW supported by industry partners.
The longest project lasts 15 months, and the portfolio is expected to deliver a benefit cost ratio
in the order of 3:1.
All of the entrants identified here are co-funding their applications. Future Railway Programme
are delighted to be able to support TOC15's applicants grow appetite for innovation and ongoing
commitment to accelerating real change in the industry.
Website: https://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/
T: +44 (0)20 3142 5300
F: +44 (0)20 3142 5663
Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited
The Helicon, 1 South Place
Registered office:
The Helicon, 1 South Place
www.rssb.co.uk
London EC2M 2RB
London EC2M 2RB
Reg No. 04655675