The rail industry is inviting innovators from across the UK to help address some of its most pressing challenges, as part of the Future Labs programme.
Backed by publicly owned train operators and Network Rail, the initiative is seeking fresh ideas to improve sustainability, safety and accessibility across Britain’s railway, with a focus on turning early-stage concepts into practical, real-world solutions.
The latest call centres on four key areas: energy resilience, waste management, trespass prevention and accessibility.
Richard Harrison, Chief Financial Officer at DfT Operator, said: “We’re opening the doors to professionals, tinkerers, students and dreamers alike, to share their ideas. We want input to help develop and challenge the next chapter of Britain’s railway – Great British Railways.
“The UK has some of the brightest creative and technical minds in the world, and Future Labs gives them the chance to bring that talent to one of the nation’s most vital and historic industries, tackling challenges like energy resilience, waste management, safety and accessibility to build a railway fit for the future, owned by the public, for the public.”
Four priority challenges
The programme is targeting specific operational and environmental issues across the network.
Energy resilience remains a key focus, with innovators encouraged to explore ways to generate, store and manage clean energy on site. This could include solar, battery storage or emerging technologies to help stations operate more independently and reduce reliance on the grid.
Waste management is another growing challenge, with more than 300 million passenger journeys generating significant volumes of waste each year. Future Labs is seeking solutions to automate and improve recycling processes within the constraints of busy station environments.
Trespass prevention continues to be a critical safety concern. Incidents have risen by 15% year-on-year, leading to nearly a million minutes of delays. The programme is calling for solutions that can detect and deter trespass, particularly at unstaffed stations, without the need for intrusive infrastructure or increased staffing.
The fourth focus area is accessibility, where the industry is looking for improvements to traditional boarding ramps. Current designs can be heavy and slow to deploy, and new solutions are needed to support faster, more efficient assistance as service frequency increases.
Rail Minister Lord Hendy said:
“We’re committed to a railway that works every day for the people who rely on it, so delivering growth, jobs and homes across the country. By empowering innovators, we can deliver smarter, greener and more resilient passenger and freight services. Future Labs is a brilliant opportunity for innovative thinkers to make our railway work better for the future.”
From ideas to implementation
Future Labs aims to provide a pathway from concept to deployment, giving innovators the opportunity to test and scale their ideas within a live rail environment.
The programme has already demonstrated its potential. In 2024, start-up Treeva proposed using the airflow from passing trains to generate renewable energy. Within months, the concept moved into live trials in partnership with LNER and Hitachi, supported by Network Rail.
Applications are now open for the energy resilience and trespass challenges, with innovators from all backgrounds encouraged to apply through the Government’s tender portal.
Supported by operators including LNER, TransPennine Express, Northern, Southeastern, South Western Railway, c2c and Greater Anglia, Future Labs forms part of a wider effort to embed innovation at the heart of the transition to Great British Railways.
