A new vehicle detection system designed to reduce railway bridge strikes is being showcased at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE) in South Wales as it moves closer to commercial deployment.
The Rail and Station Innovation Company (Rasic) has installed its BridgeBouncer system at the GCRE site after completing a series of controlled trials and demonstrations. The technology has been developed through the Department for Transport’s First of a Kind innovation programme and is now part of GCRE’s Bronze Benefits Scheme.
BridgeBouncer measures the height of approaching vehicles to within a tolerance of 6mm, providing drivers of over-height vehicles with real-time alerts before they reach low railway bridges. The aim is to move beyond traditional warning signs by giving drivers earlier, more proactive information to help prevent bridge strikes.
The installation follows several months of testing at GCRE, with Rasic now in discussions about deploying the system in operational environments.
Marcus Mayers, Managing Director of Rasic Ltd, said: “GCRE has been instrumental in getting BridgeBouncer to this point. Without their support, access and willingness to help us test in a realistic rail environment, we simply could not have built the evidence now needed to take the system forward.
“Joining the Bronze Benefits Scheme gives us an ongoing presence at GCRE, so we can continue refining the technology, demonstrate it to potential customers and give infrastructure owners a credible place to see how BridgeBouncer works in practice. That presence is already creating real opportunities for deployment and helping us move from a funded innovation project into a commercial route to market.”
GCRE is being developed as a purpose-built rail research, testing and innovation centre in South West Wales. Although the facility is still under construction, it has already created demonstration infrastructure, including a 500-metre Road Rail Vehicle (RRV) test line and 1,000 metres of showcase space where organisations can demonstrate new technologies to industry stakeholders.
Arthur Emyr, GCRE’s Head of Business Development and Engagement, said: “It’s fantastic to have Rasic join the GCRE Benefits Scheme and showcase their innovative BridgeBouncer technology at the site. We’ve worked with the company through the development of their system, so it’s a natural next step to have it installed at the site on a longer-term basis.
“Showcasing on the GCRE site can help companies like Rasic highlight their product to an industry audience and show its practical impact for potential clients across a range of sectors.”
According to Network Rail, there are more than 1,800 bridge strikes across the UK each year, with each incident costing around £100,000 while causing delays, disruption and damage to infrastructure.
Once fully operational, the 700-hectare GCRE site aims to become a leading European hub for rail research, testing and sustainable mobility innovation, supporting the development and commercialisation of new technologies across the rail sector.
