– Innovation in Railway Construction projects showcased at GCRE site in South Wales
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence has the potential to transform technology innovation in UK and international rail – that was the message from its Chief Executive Simon Jones as the facility held its first industry demonstration day earlier this month.
On 10th December GCRE showcased two projects that have come through the £7.4m ‘Innovation in Railway Construction’ competition, organised by Innovate UK and funded by the Department for Business and Trade in the UK Government.
The competition was first launched in 2022 and since then twelve teams have been funded to take their projects to prototype stage at the GCRE facility. Two teams – Furrer+Frey and Universal Signalling – showcased their progress to an invited audience, with a further industry demonstration day planned in March.
Furrer+Frey demonstrated their ‘CODES’ project, a dynamic electrification system which uses remotely adjustable power lines to help to understand how to avoid the cost and delay of having to move bridges and infrastructure which get in the way of traditional pantographs.
Universal Signalling were on site highlighting their ground-breaking Universal Interlocking system which could radically lower the costs of new digital signalling installation on UK and international railways.
Simon Jones said the day marked an important milestone in the history of GCRE, showing what the larger GCRE facility could do to support innovative technology development both in the UK and internationally.
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence is a new, purpose-built facility being constructed in South Wales that will become Europe’s leading centre for rail and sustainable mobility innovation, providing a range of services unique across the continent. GCRE will become the UK’s first ever net zero in operation railway, supporting the innovations needed to decarbonise the UK and European railway.
Simon Jones, Chief Executive of GCRE Ltd said:
“It was fantastic to see these two projects being demonstrated to an industry audience at the GCRE site. Here were two very talented teams tackling two of the biggest cost challenges in UK and international rail at our facility.
“The main infrastructure at GCRE has not been developed yet, but even on this small portion of the site we are showing in microcosm what our facility will be capable of once it is completed. The successful demonstrations of the Furrer+Frey and Universal Signalling projects show the international potential of the Global Centre of Rail Excellence as a site for world class innovation.
“The cutting-edge technology we can develop at GCRE will help to lower the costs of major projects, support the development of new and more affordable rail infrastructure and help create new export markets for rail products, a huge prize for the industry.
“Through GCRE the UK has a once in a generation opportunity to become the global leader in rail innovation, adding new strength to the UK economy through the development of unique infrastructure nowhere else in Europe will have.
“The commercial demand for GCRE and its services has been clear for some time now, but having projects on site tangibly demonstrating what is possible only makes that appeal stronger. This month’s demonstration day is a seminal moment in the life of GCRE and I can’t wait for our next demonstrations in March.”
Head of Innovation at GCRE, Kelvin Davies, said:
“Thanks to the strong partnership we have developed with Innovate UK and the Department for Business and Trade over the last few years through this competition we are making good on the potential of GCRE.
“It’s great to take this next step in the competition and show projects coming to life at our site. Here they can be refined and developed to prove that they have a viable commercial future on the rail network not just here in the UK, but internationally, too.
“The ideas we have seen come through the competition are exciting and creative prove once again not only the value of the funding that has come through government and Innovate UK but also the wider commercial potential of GCRE.”
