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Automatic de-icing concrete for platforms and very high-speed data were also among the 25 projects to win a share of the First of a Kind fund, run by the Department for Transport in partnership with Innovate UK.
The competition aims to bring new technology onto the railways to make them cleaner, greener and safer.
Steamology Motion will develop the hydrogen-based turbine system for existing rail freight locomotives. The project could make freight trains zero-emission and reduce noise.
The Trac Rail Transposer also aims to reduce emissions from the network. In development at Unipart Rail Limited, the prototype machine could remove and replace rails while running on zero-emission technology.
Other ambitious projects include low-energy concrete slabs that automatically heat up in freezing conditions to help prevent passengers from slipping on icy platforms and the Seatfrog Train Swap app, which aims to allow passengers to quickly and remotely update their seat reservation to another service.
The fund will also support schemes including next-generation lightweight composite poles to provide passengers with faster, more reliable 5G Wi-Fi, and the development of safer and more resilient glazing for train windows, to prevent glass windows being smashed.
The competition “will support better, more environmentally-friendly journeys,” said transport secretary Grant Shapps. “Crucially, these pioneering projects will also ensure that passengers have a more efficient, reliable and responsive railway, making their journeys simpler and easier.”
“These high-quality projects illustrate the appetite of UK organisations to develop new and exciting innovations for rail transport that improve customers’ user experience, optimise railway efficiency, and are environmentally sustainable,” said Ian Campbell, executive chair of Innovate UK.
Now in its fourth year, the competition was open to organisations of all sizes and sectors. Previous winners include new technology from Porterbrook in partnership with emissions specialist Eminox, which successfully reduces harmful emissions from diesel trains by over 90%.
In March, South Western Railway completed a six-month trial of the technology. An emissions reduction system was fitted to the exhaust of a Class 159 train used by passengers between Waterloo and Exeter. The trial reduced pollution from nitrous oxides by over 80% and hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter by more than 90%.
For a full list of projects receiving funding, visit the government website.
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