Network Rail launches digital strategy to improve travel experience

Network Rail will carry out a digital railway strategy to help ensure that all new UK trains and signalling are digital or digital ready from 2019. The upgrade is aimed at improving the speed, punctuality and safety of the service. New digital rail technology will be utilised with the intention of allowing trains to run closer together and provide more frequent services. In addition, passengers are expected to be provided with improved mobile and WiFi connectivity. Train drivers will receive real-time
May 14, 2018 Read time: 2 mins

5021 Network Rail will carry out a digital railway strategy to help ensure that all new UK trains and signalling are digital or digital ready from 2019. The upgrade is aimed at improving the speed, punctuality and safety of the service.

New digital rail technology will be utilised with the intention of allowing trains to run closer together and provide more frequent services. In addition, passengers are expected to be provided with improved mobile and WiFi connectivity.

Train drivers will receive real-time information about the network and the location of other trains. For service disruptions, the digital railway will advise signallers of the best option to get services back to normal.

This project stems from an agreement between transport minister Chris Grayling and Network Rail chief Mark Carne.

Digital railway technology will use the near £48bn investment being invested in the UK’s railway network from 2019 to 2024. The Government has also secured £450m specifically for digital railway schemes.

The technology will be operational on the Thameslink service in central London from next year with an estimated 24 trains passing through every hour. The Digital Railway Strategy is being launched in York, on the Transpennine route.

Richard Robinson, chief executive, civil Infrastructure, Europe, Middle East, India & Africa, AECOM has expressed support for the project. He says: “After years of industry wrestling with the productivity gap, the time has come to fully embrace digital innovation and take the necessary step forwards to accelerate delivery.”

Robinson adds that major enhancement investment in the railway is needed for the transformation to be realised. The company anticipates hearing the outcome of how the announcement aligns with the Department for Transport’s ambitions for increased third party investment and how it could compliment projects such as the AESCOM backed Heathrow Southern Rail proposal.

“We hope to continue working with Network Rail to support them in achieving their Digital Railway goals,” Robinson concluded.

Related Content

  • April 3, 2019
    Marston buys video data platform provider Videalert
    Video data platform provider Videalert has been bought by Marston Holdings, the UK-based transportation and enforcement services group. The announcement, made at Traffex this week, comes as Videalert extends its existing work for Bath & North East Somerset Council with more CCTV enforcement for the city of Bath’s clean air zone. Videalert’s technology is used to identify parking and moving traffic offences, supporting traffic management, police ANPR programmes – and, increasingly, clean air and low emissi
    Read More
  • November 3, 2017
    AT&T, Ford, Nokia and Qualcomm Technologies to test C-V2X in U.S.
    American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T), Ford, Nokia and Qualcomm Technologies are teaming up with the intention of accelerating the development of connected cars by trailing Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) technologies in the U.S. These tests are aimed at showing automakers and road operators the anticipated cost-efficient benefits associated with embedded C-V2X in vehicles and synergies between the deployment of cellular base stations and roadside infrastructure. Initial testing is expected to begin later this year.
    Read More
  • February 3, 2012
    South Africa's first multi-lane free-flow tolling top of the line
    Kapsch's Kjell Arnesson talks about the first multi-lane free-flow tolling project in South Africa. In South Africa, installation is ongoing as part of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) of the country's first Multi-Lane Free-Flow (MLFF) tolling system.
    Read More
  • February 12, 2019
    Connectivity vital for advancing autonomous, electric and shared tech, says Bloomberg
    Connectivity is essential for the development of autonomous, electric and shared technologies, according to international media outlet Bloomberg. “Connectivity is at the heart of this as autonomous cars need high-definition maps that are connected through 4G,” said Phil Robinson, head of research and insight, EMEA Bloomberg Media. “For electric, you need to know where the next charging station is by being connected to the app while Uber users are connected to 4G or Wi-Fi to make it happen.” Robinson a
    Read More

Highlighted Content