Research and development teams across the rail industry are imagining how our railways may look in the future. A Network Rail think-tank has been looking at the needs of passengers and businesses in 30 years’ time and even further ahead, and considering how the railway can adapt through innovation to meet these requirements.
What the railway could look like in 30 years’ time – Network Rail
This video, produced alongside the Rail Technical Strategy when it was published in 2012, shows how a radically different railway service could use existing track infrastructure, with comfortable, energy-efficient trains able to travel closer together for more capacity on the network.
A strong, collaborative partnership, with representation from across the rail industry and supply chain, including Network Rail, is working to make this vision a reality through the Rail Technical Strategy Capability Delivery Plan.
Our plans to make this happen form key themes in the Safety, Technical and Engineering part of our recently published Strategic Business Plan for CP6, enabling intelligent operations through the Digital Railway and building new technical capability through the Capability Delivery Plan.
The Capability Delivery Plan is a long-term vision and action plan for integrating new technologies into the railway to address the challenges of rapid growth and changing customer expectations.
The vision is for a technologically-enabled railway that delivers efficient, affordable, flexible and attractive transport, giving passengers more choice, more service, easier access and greater comfort and connectivity.
Twelve key capabilities align the development, deployment and delivery of technologies with the RTS vision:
- Running trains closer together
- Minimal disruption to train services
- Efficient passenger flow through stations and trains
- More value from data
- Optimum energy use
- More space on trains
- Services timed to the second
- Intelligent trains
- Personalised customer experience
- Flexible freight
- Low-cost railway solutions
- Accelerated research, development and technology deployment
The Technical Leadership Group (TLG), chaired by Network Rail’s group director for Safety, Technical and Engineering, Graham Hopkins, owns the RTS and leads its delivery, reporting to the Rail Delivery Group in partnership with the Rail Supply Group.
A range of future scenarios are possible and adapting Rail Technical Strategy related programmes and activities to fit is an ongoing, organic process.