The Rail Technical Strategy (RTS) is paving the way for a more innovative and technologically robust rail industry. By searching for technological solutions to some of the railway’s biggest issues, the strategy helps underpin long-term decision-making to improve reliability and sustainability and provide greater value for money for the people who depend on rail every day.
I’m pleased to endorse this refreshed strategy. It builds on strong progress in recent years and gives us the opportunity to work more closely across the sector. As we move towards Great British Railways, a more integrated system will allow us to design and deliver improvements that work for passengers, freight users and taxpayers alike.
The RTS’s five priorities already underpin much of the work happening across the network and the strategy helps us stay focused on what matters most.
At Network Rail, we are investing in technology and data to support better decision making, reduce wear on our infrastructure and rolling stock, and improve day-to-day performance. We are also working with suppliers and operators to accelerate innovation and ensure the benefits of new solutions are felt across the whole railway.
Working with the Rail Safety Standards Board (RSSB), we have funded nearly 20 projects totalling more than £6million pounds. These projects have already delivered benefits across the industry, including new technology that reduces track and wheel wear and better assessment of technologies that support safe train guidance.
This strategy is a reminder of what we can achieve when we work together as an industry with a clear purpose. It helps us look beyond individual projects and focus on delivering a railway that is safer, more reliable and easier for our customers to use.
Thank you to the representatives from RSSB, Network Rail, UKRRIN and Rail Delivery Group for working on this strategy. I look forward to continuing to work with you, delivering on our shared vision to better support the communities and economies we serve.
April 2026
