Government pledges £7.6m for rail innovation

The Government has offered £7.6 million to fund new technology that will transform the rail industry.

The funding was announced on April 12, as Rail Minister Wendy Morton launched this year’s First of a Kind competition in partnership with Innovate UK.

The competition invites bids from companies specialising in cutting-edge ways to modernise the railways. It runs from April 20 to June 8 and will focus on technologies which “improve the industry’s cost-efficiency and network performance to support a more reliable railway for passengers and improving rail freight”.

Bids are welcome from organisations of all sizes, for projects aimed at creating a “greener, more cost-effective and passenger-focused railway”.

Launching the sixth round of the

First of a Kind partnership, Morton said: “In partnership with Innovate UK we have already invested £35.4m in over 100 groundbreaking projects.

“We’ve seen cutting edge technologies such as HydroFLEX developed, the first ever trial of a hydrogen-powered train on the UK main line, and software improving accessibility such as the Hearing Enhanced Audio Relay app.”