INNOVATION w o w r e l d n s o ’ o f g p l a r e T d i n c t e r i v t e n e m c h a c i r n SEE INSIDE FOR: a t e e P s n o e a r r t n e c y r p e a b i r h n w o s l r i o U e a k K n r ’ R t s r t R a s I IN p n ’s g e n e in g o xpand r a v l a t s io ’ n e p H ro ub u n E E n v in olv ra ing rt T Sie ma mens Mobility’s S SHUTTERSTOCK. adRocket UKRRIN. CONTENTS UKRRIN 16 months since it was formed, Welcome 14UKRRIN is now a formidable n the past 12 months the UK rail industry skills, knowledge and experience across force in rail research and product has taken demonstrable steps forward in these partnerships to generate new products, development. Iterms of addressing the key challenges processes and solutions. facing us. Decarbonisation, digitalisation, There are two key areas of concern for BCRRE collaboration and innovation are all familiar UKRRIN when it comes to supporting and CLIVE ROBERTS and ALEX themes, but how we go about turning boosting innovation. 18BURROWS outline the progress discussion into action and tangible outcomes Firstly, turning ideas into tangible being made at the Birmingham Centre for is the most important part. solutions. Not all great ideas will end up Rail Research and Education. This time last year we were launching the delivering value as a commercially realisable UK Rail Research and Innovation Network solution for many different reasons, but a RSSB (UKRRIN), a ground-breaking partnership number of good ideas do get lost for reasons New Chairman BARBARA between industry and academia. This that could be prevented. Our focus here is 10MOORHOUSE on how RSSB year we are delighted to show the progress on the innovation process, and working is supporting members to meet the that UKRRIN has catalysed, with new with innovators to develop practical, realistic challenges of CP6 and industry reform. industry members to UKRRIN committing solutions that answer a need. Great ideas do investment into UK rail R&D and innovation not always survive first impact with reality. Porterbrook activities. Once again, UKRRIN will have Secondly, reducing the barriers that stop ANVESH PRASAD tells RAIL a strong presence at Rail Live and the four those tangible solutions delivering value to 16about Porterbrook’s new UKRRIN Centres of Excellence (Digital the railway and its customers. Our focus here platform for demonstrating new concepts Systems; Infrastructure; Rolling Stock; is on navigating the complexity of the sector in train technology. Testing) will all be showcasing a range of and enabling market entry for innovative current projects along with the capabilities solutions. Great ideas can often survive Talgo that we can offer to work on innovation that first impact with reality, but then fail How the sheer power and projects collaboratively with industry to overcome the following impact with the 18capacity of cloud computing is partners. market. opening up a new world of predictive I am particularly pleased to be able to There is widespread commitment to maintenance. highlight the UKRRIN project between the the principle that we need to see more University of Birmingham and Porterbrook collaboration and innovation across the rail Cooling the Tube that is providing one of the headlines at Rail industry. It is also uncontroversial to suggest CALVIN BARROWS proposes Live this year - HydroFLEX, the UK’s first that digitalisation and decarbonisation 20an innovative solution to the full-sized hydrogen train. are two of the major challenges facing the age-old problem of overheating metro This started following a conversation at industry. The rapid success and development systems. Rail Live last year, leading to us signing a of UKRRIN has come as a response to these co-operation agreement at InnoTrans in challenges, and the need to address them. Siemens Mobility Berlin last September, and nine months In this Innovation special issue, and at PAUL BAINES tells RAIL how on from that point we have developed a Rail Live, you will see a lot more about these 22the award-winning Class 700 demonstrator unit (799001) to showcase this challenges and examples of how they are has already spawned new and improved technology. being addressed. We hope you find this both versions. This is only one of a number of innovation informative and interesting, and we look projects that UKRRIN has kick-started forward to working with you to innovate the by initiating new partnerships between railway of the future. EDITORIAL academia and industry. These collaborations Managing Editor: Nigel Harris are stimulating ideas and guiding them ALEX BURROWS Assistant Editor: Richard Clinnick through the innovation process, using the Managing Director, BCRRE Contributing Writer: Paul Stephen Production Editor: Mike Wright Art Editor: Charles Wrigley Sub-Editor: Richard Hampson Managing Director: Tim Lucas ADVERTISING Account Director: Julie Howard 3 FP_RAIL_3SQAdvertSid3833012.pdf 02.27.2019 11:57 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE SPECIAL REPORT Produced by Revolutionising innovation in rail Only 16 months since it was formed, UKRRIN is now a formidable force in rail research and products and services he UK Rail and Research Excellence, and to introduce new members Innovation Network (UKRRIN) that have joined since UKRRIN’s launch in formed one of the star attractions February 2018. Tat last year’s Rail Live show, held Visitors will also have the opportunity to at Quinton Rail Technology Centre at Long meet the centre leads and a wide range of Marston in June 2018. UKRRIN members to better understand Despite being just four months old, the rail how the network fits together and to discuss industry and university partnership brought whether membership would potentially suit Porterbrook signs up to UKRRIN. From left: Jo a sizeable offering, including the UK’s first their own organisations. Binstead, Head of Innovation at Siemens and hydrogen fuel cell locomotive. Clive Roberts, Professor of Railway UKRRIN Steering Group Chairman; Rupert More than 6,000 visitors had the Systems at UKRRIN’s lead university partner Brennan-Brown, Head of Communication and opportunity to ride the 10¼ inch gauge train BCRRE says: “UKRRIN was designed to Engagement at Porterbrook; and Clive Roberts, Hydrogen Hero, and to meet the team from provide powerful collaboration between Professor of Railway Systems at UKRRIN’s lead university partner BCRRE. UKRRIN. the University of Birmingham’s Centre for individual companies and academia, because Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) there was an issue that, although we design that built it. a lot of good stuff in this country, it takes the Rail Research UK Association by linking conducted in its four main research areas Rail Live 2019 (June 19-20) promises to be a long time to get it out there on the rail 16 companies from the rail sector with eight We’re rapidly growing in industry partners of future railway operations and control, even bigger and better for UKRRIN, which network. leading UK universities. data integration and cybersecurity, smart says it will build on last year’s presence to “We’re now 16 months old, and we want Those eight universities have joined and people are knocking on our door rather monitoring and autonomous systems, and demonstrate how it is already delivering a to increase productivity even further by not forces and combined their resources to introducing innovations (see pages 44-45). step-change in research, development and just working with the larger companies that form three Centres of Excellence in Digital than having to be persuaded. Projects recently completed include a innovation. are already members of UKRRIN, but with Systems (BCRRE), Rolling Stock (University Clive Roberts, Professor of Railway Systems, BCRRE knowledge transfer partnership between It will be exhibiting case studies and live SMEs so that it benefits companies of all of Huddersfield, Newcastle University BCRRE and Abtus which resulted in the demonstrations within the Innovation Zone sizes.” and Loughborough University) and Control Period 6 (Apr 2019-Mar 2024). growing in industry partners and people development of the ABT7000 ‘Max’ Cyclic at Rail Live to showcase the work of network UKRRIN was founded in February 2018 Infrastructure (University of Southampton, Given this integral role, it’s of little are knocking on our door rather than Top Measurement Device. 82 of the track members at UKRRIN’s four Centres of to take forward and expand on the work of University of Nottingham, Loughborough surprise that UKRRIN has already having to be persuaded. They are mostly big inspection trolleys have now been sold to University, University of Sheffield and successfully expanded from its original companies but we also have the mechanisms Network Rail as a result of this successful Heriot-Watt University). membership. in place to welcome SMEs through BCRRE’s collaboration. A fourth Centre of Excellence has In November 2018 it was announced at integration with the Rail Alliance (see pages Meanwhile, BCRRE will also be providing been created to focus on testing, which UKRRIN’s inaugural annual conference 44-45) and the Rail Industry Association’s on-track demonstrations of Britain’s first incorporates facilities at Network Rail’s in London that rolling stock company membership of UKRRIN. full-sized hydrogen train. Rail Innovation & Development Centres at Porterbrook has joined its ranks while, in “It is a very good news story for the The ‘HydroFLEX’ demonstrator has been Melton Mowbray (Leicestershire) and High April, both Furrer and Frey and Worldline industry to be doing something so different, converted from a Class 319 electric multiple Marnham (Nottinghamshire), and those of were also welcomed to the network.