£9m backing for creative projects

INNOVATIVE projects which could revolutionise British rail travel have won more than £9m of government backing.

The 25 projects have won a share of funding to help make Britain’s railways cleaner, greener and more passenger-friendly over the coming years.

Schemes benefitting from the latest First of a Kind competition, worth a total of £9.4m, cover tech ranging from 5G wifi infrastructure to track cleaning machines, hydrogen-powered freight trains and technology that can make some existing diesel engines more environmentally sustainable

In Leicestershire, a company called Hive Composites, which has offices in Loughborough and Coalville, has won support to create composite poles for 5G to go up alongside railway lines.

The Department for Transport ran the competition in partnership with Innovate UK and many of the projects will help the government reduce the railway’s environmental impact and support decarbonisation.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “I am delighted to announce the winners of this year’s FOAK competition, which will support better, more environmentally friendly journeys.

“Crucially, these pioneering projects will also ensure that passengers have a more efficient, reliable and responsive railway, making their journeys simpler and easier. From clever technology on platforms to prevent icy surfaces, new ‘seat-switching’ apps and improved 5G wifi connections, harnessing innovation will be crucial to modernising the network and making our railways greener and cleaner, as we build beyond coronavirus (COVID-19) and look to the future.”

Now in its fourth year, the competition was open to organisations of all sizes and sectors whose technologies could help to create a greener, more cost-effective and customer-friendly railway with greater capacity.

North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen said: “I would like to congratulate Coalville based Hive Composites Ltd on their award and the innovation they are providing to improve rail travel across our country,

“I am confident that North West Leicestershire based companies such as this will help drive our economy forward as we come out of lockdown.”