techUK report: putting data and innovation at the heart of Great British Railways transition

This new report from techUK argues that the technology sector has an enormous role to play as we rethink what rail travel looks like in modern Britain.

With work underway to establish Great British Railways (GBR) as the new “guiding mind” for the sector, we have outlined strategies for how technology, digital and data can be embedded across GBR’s six pillars for transformation.

The Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail said that “rail needs to innovate and accelerate change if it is to remain relevant”. We firmly agree. However, driving change will require partnership between the technology sector and the rail industry.

In this spirit of collaboration, techUK’s members have come together to begin considering how we can overcome some of the fundamental issues for technological adoption in rail.

We have set out some first principles which we feel GBR would benefit from adopting:

1. GBR should lead the creation of an industry eco-system to nurture innovation.

2. GBR should ensure there remains a level playing field for Third Party Retailers to foster innovation in ticketing.

3. GBR should build on the work of Network Rail in strengthening ties to the telecoms sector to improve connectivity.

4. GBR should create a blueprint for stations to become digitally enabled "smart-spaces".

5. GBR should lead in the creation of a single point of access for data sharing.

6. GBR should work closely with the technology sector to develop the right solutions to optimise infrastructure and utilities.

7. GBR should work with rail freight operators to build awareness of how technology can support the sector.

We hope this report will start a conversation about how we can improve digital adoption in rail. techUK and the wider technology industry stands ready to support this transformation. We are positive about this new era of rail travel and look forward to working hand-in-hand with the entire rail ecosystem.

Get involved with our work

All of techUK’s work is led by our members – keep in touch or get involved with our work on transport and infrastructure by joining our groups.

Intelligent Mobility and Transport Group

The Intelligent Mobility and Transport's Group aim is to deliver a digitally-enabled, interoperable, integrated and inclusive transport network that connects people and services with multiple modes of mobility.

Smart Energy and Utilities Group

The Smart Energy and Utilities Programme provides a strong platform of technological solutions in support of delivering a competitive, dynamic, and flexible market.

Ashley Feldman

Programme Manager, Transport and Smart Cities, techUK

Ashley Feldman is the programme manager for transport and smart cities at techUK. Through working closely with the technology industry, his role is to promote the contribution of digital technology in driving positive outcomes for cities and transport. Through maintaining close ties to government, he also works to ensure the policy and regulatory conditions are optimised for businesses to scale innovation in the UK.

Teodora Kaneva

Head of Smart Infrastructure and Systems, techUK

Teodora’s rich background varies from working in business development for a renewable energy lobbying association in Brussels to the fast moving technology innovation startup scene in the UK.

She has designed the market strategy for a German renewable energy engineering scale up for the UK, listed on Nasdaq private market, and now one of the fastest growing scale ups in the world. Previous experience also includes managing a renewable energy startup in London, which has built a small-scale biomass CHP power plant. Teodora is passionate about cross-industry collaboration and working together with academia to inform the design of future educational models and skill building.

Most recently Teodora has ran the commercial activities and business development at Future Cities Catapult, focusing on innovation in cities, digital health and wellbeing, mobility, and infrastructure. Teodora is a passionate STEM Ambassador and a vocal advocate for women in tech.

Email:: [email protected]
Phone:: 020 7331 2016
Twitter:: @Teodora_K
Website:: www.techuk.org
LinkedIn:: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/teodora-k-2969b021

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