Rail Forum is delighted to celebrate Rail Forum member success in securing First of a Kind (FOAK) funding to further develop their ideas and potential solutions. Congratulations go to members including:
- 3Squared – PathPlanner tool to improve freight operations and unlock UK rail network capacity
- CrossTech (formerly Hack Partners) – automating freight access right management and spot bidding using novel software to drive the shift from road to rail
- Porterbrook – Emissions Reductions in Closed Stations
- Siemens – 25kV Battery Train Charging Station Demonstration
- Siemens Mobility – directly connecting large-scale renewable generation to the East Coast Mainline
- TDI – “Freight Skate”, a self-powered freight bogie and platform
- WABTEC – Axle mounted motor to recover energy from braking and enable zero emissions in stations
- WABTEC – Zero Emission Powering of Auxiliary Loads in Stations (to reduce emissions from idling diesel engines)
Rail Forum is also pleased that our ‘SME Challenge’ process, this year focused on ‘The Rail Freight Terminal of the Future’, has played a supporting role for a member to secure FOAK funding. SME Challenge participant, Transport Design International (TDI), with support from GB Railfreight, Freightliner and DB Cargo, were successful in obtaining FOAK 2022 funding to develop a proof of concept for their ‘Freight Skate’ self-powered freight bogie and platform.
This follows Rail Forum SME Challenge participants’ success in the FOAK 2021 competition where Furrer & Frey, Meteor Power and Incremental Solutions all received funding after being involved with the previous SME Challenge focusing on ‘Opportunities for Decarbonising the Rail Freight Industry’.
Robert Hodgson, Engagement Manager at Rail Forum, said: “We are excited to see the success of a number of Rail Forum members in this FOAK 2022 competition and look forward to watching all the products come to life.”
