The updated Rail Technical Strategy is a major shift for the industry. It outlines how we are making a step change in innovation across the rail sector.

We’ve been too slow on innovation and it is time that we reset. The COVID pandemic has demonstrated that we can be more agile and deliver better for passengers and freight users. We must recognise the importance of innovation beyond today and find longer term solutions fit for the future of rail.

This strategy provides us with a spring-board to address long-standing challenges that the rail industry has faced. We have an opportunity now, with this strategy, to build long-term solutions in areas such as environmental sustainability, affordability, reliability and safety.

Network Rail is committed to this and we are investing £245m in Research and Development in this control period through our R&D Portfolio. This funding is being used to deliver improvements and accelerate the development and introduction of technology – from an app to underpin passenger assistance, to modernising the way our frontline teams collect and make use of data through wearable technology; delivering medium term solutions that keep trains moving when parts of the signalling system fail along with replacing our ageing signalling assets in a way that is affordable and timely; delivering longer term improvements to address sustainability challenges and finding affordable ways to achieve resilience against the backdrop of climate change.

These examples and all R&D projects are being delivered by collaborating across industry with operators, suppliers, universities and many other organisations. Collaboration is at the heart of this strategy which couldn’t have been developed in isolation. We can only succeed when we work together, as one rail industry.

Let’s embrace this strategy, reset our expectations to harness technology and build on this platform for change.

September 2020