RSSB and Network Rail have awarded funding to 15 new research projects involving nine universities, targeting some of the railway’s most pressing engineering, operational and safety challenges.
The projects form part of a new approach to collaborative research through the UK Rail Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN), known as UKRRIN2, which aims to strengthen the connection between academic research, industry requirements and the practical adoption of new technologies.
Research will focus on three major areas: electric traction power, vehicle and track interaction, and communications and positioning technologies.
The programme brings together universities, rolling stock manufacturers, infrastructure specialists, train operators and supply chain businesses, with projects scheduled to begin in November 2026.
Among the challenges being investigated are improving electrification performance without necessarily requiring extensive infrastructure upgrades, predicting rail defects before they become visible, managing track buckling risks and preparing for the introduction of the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS).
The initiative reflects a wider effort to ensure railway research delivers practical improvements in safety, reliability, efficiency and whole-life asset costs.
Moving railway research closer to commercial application
UKRRIN was established to strengthen collaboration between academia and the railway industry, connecting specialist research capabilities with the technical challenges facing operators, infrastructure managers and suppliers.
The latest initiative, launched at the UKRRIN Inspire event in April, seeks to build on that approach by identifying priority industry problems before research projects are commissioned.
Rather than relying solely on academic proposals to generate potential innovations, RSSB and Network Rail invited universities to respond to specific tactical and strategic challenges.
Universities were also encouraged to involve industrial partners from the outset, improving the prospects of successful research being developed into practical products, systems or operational improvements.
Luisa Moisio, Director of Research at RSSB, said: “This is an important step in the evolution of UKRRIN. Naturally, research is inherently exploratory, and not every finding progresses to industry adoption. Working jointly with Network Rail and the UKRRIN community, we want to raise these odds.”
She added that bringing public funders together to agree research priorities would help direct academic expertise towards the industry’s most important challenges.
“This research will draw on the deep expertise and fresh thinking within UKRRIN’s world-class universities and involve UKRRIN industrial members from the outset, so the supply chain is ready to pick up the baton in their solutions.”
The 15 successful projects have secured industry support, including in-kind contributions from participating organisations.
Improving electrification and traction power performance
Five projects will investigate electric traction power, including opportunities to improve the performance of existing electrification systems and support future rolling stock technologies.
The University of Birmingham will lead research into power factor control for next-generation AC railway electrification systems, working with Navitas Engineering and supported by Alstom.
The project will develop and validate control approaches intended to improve voltage stability.
A separate University of Nottingham project, supported by Hitachi Rail, L.C. Switchgear and DB ESG, will investigate how reactive current control from trains and trackside equipment could improve voltage distribution along overhead electrification systems.
This research could be particularly relevant where existing electrical infrastructure constrains the amount of traction power available to trains.
Improving the management of electrical power could potentially increase operational capability without relying exclusively on major infrastructure reinforcement.
The University of Huddersfield will lead a project examining new pantograph technology designed to enable faster and more reliable dynamic power changeover. The work involves the University of Bristol and Foster Technology, with support from Wabtec.
Battery traction will also be examined through a project led by the University of Hull and Cranfield University.
Supported by organisations including Transport for Wales, Porterbrook, Heavy Haul Rail, East West Rail, Angel Trains and Great Western Railway, the research will develop a comparison framework for battery traction modelling.
The aim is to address inconsistencies in modelling approaches and improve the assessment of battery-powered trains across different routes and operating conditions.
A fifth project, led by the University of Birmingham, will investigate bird strikes involving pantographs and overhead line equipment.
Supported by Network Rail High Speed, Eurostar and Furrer + Frey, the research will examine how birds perceive railway infrastructure and identify locations where collision risks may be greater.
Predicting track defects before they affect performance
Six projects will focus on vehicle and track interaction, with particular emphasis on predictive maintenance, asset life and infrastructure reliability.
The University of Huddersfield will lead research into early-warning methods for rail squat defects, working with the University of Birmingham and supported by MoniRail, Eurostar, Eurotunnel and Network Rail’s East Coast Route.
Squats are fatigue-related rail defects that can deteriorate over time, creating maintenance requirements and potentially affecting railway safety and performance.
The project aims to develop methods capable of forecasting where defects are likely to emerge before they become detectable, as well as predicting how existing defects may progress.
Another project, led by the University of Southampton, will investigate methods for measuring the stress-free temperature of rails and improving the management of track buckling risk.
The research will assess whether practical measurements could be undertaken using relatively simple equipment operated by track inspectors or through information collected by measurement trains.
The work could provide new ways of understanding thermal stresses in continuously welded rail, an increasingly important consideration as the railway prepares for more challenging weather conditions.
The University of Southampton will also lead research into ballast settlement, investigating why track quality deteriorates and how maintenance interventions could be better targeted.
Supported by RailSense and involving the University of Huddersfield, the project aims to improve the prediction and management of settlement-related track degradation.
Digital tools to improve maintenance efficiency
Other research projects will examine how digital technology and improved analytical methods can support more effective infrastructure maintenance.
The University of Leeds, working with the University of Huddersfield, will develop an augmented reality application to help welding engineers assess repairs to railway crossings.
The proposed tablet- or smartphone-based tool would allow engineers to visualise the location and depth of repairs required to restore crossing profiles.
Industry supporters include Network Rail, Progress Rail, Vossloh, RailSense and MoniRail.
Meanwhile, the University of Sheffield will lead a project examining how rail grinding and milling activities can be better prioritised.
Working with the University of Huddersfield and supported by Plasser & Theurer and British Steel, the research will develop a data-driven decision-support tool to help identify where rail profile treatments would deliver the greatest benefit.
The tool will consider asset condition, expected maintenance outcomes and the availability of access to the railway.
Further research led by the University of Huddersfield will investigate the effectiveness of guard rail arrangements at higher speeds and explore how vehicle suspension settings could be optimised to improve passenger ride comfort.
Together, these projects demonstrate a growing emphasis on using better data and engineering analysis to extend asset life and improve maintenance productivity.
Preparing for FRMCS and next-generation railway communications
Three projects will address communications and positioning technologies, including preparations for the transition to FRMCS.
FRMCS is being developed as the successor to GSM-R, the radio system currently used for operational railway communications.
Its introduction will create opportunities for more advanced digital communications, but also presents challenges around capacity, reliability, equipment lifecycle management and the protection of safety-critical functions.
The University of Birmingham will lead the MapFrag project, supported by Siemens Mobility and Govia Thameslink Railway.
The research will examine the capacity of the spectrum available for FRMCS in Great Britain and investigate data management strategies to maintain service quality while protecting safety-critical train control communications.
A second project, led by the University of Nottingham, will focus on managing technological obsolescence within FRMCS systems.
Supported by Network Rail, London St Pancras Highspeed, FirstGroup, Great Western Railway, Hitachi Rail GTS and Siemens Mobility, it will develop requirements and recommendations for managing equipment upgrades and long-term maintainability.
The third project, COMPASS, will investigate high-integrity positioning technologies used to protect track workers and on-track plant.
Led by the University of Birmingham, with support from Network Rail’s Eastern Region, Machines With Vision and Onwave, it aims to develop a practical method for assessing positioning systems used in safety-critical railway applications.
Network Rail backs industry-led innovation
Phil Doughty, Chief Technology Officer at Network Rail, said: “We are pleased to continue our partnership with UKRRIN through this pilot programme.
“Working closely with RSSB, universities and industry partners, we will explore new ways to address some of the rail sector’s most important challenges. We look forward to the opportunities and insights this collaboration will create, and its potential to deliver lasting benefits for the railway and its customers.”
The projects will now move into mobilisation ahead of their planned November start.
Although research outcomes are not guaranteed to result in commercial products or operational changes, the involvement of industry partners at an early stage is intended to improve the prospects of successful adoption.
For the railway supply chain, this approach provides opportunities to influence research priorities, contribute technical expertise and participate in the development of solutions addressing recognised industry needs.
A new approach to funding railway innovation
The UKRRIN2 programme also introduces enhanced arrangements for commissioning and managing collaborative research.
RSSB says the updated UKRRIN2 Hub and contractual mechanisms will be available to other public and private organisations interested in commissioning academic-led research.
This could allow a wider range of industry participants to access university expertise through a more structured research framework.
The approach is particularly relevant as the railway faces continuing pressure to improve infrastructure reliability, manage costs, support decarbonisation and introduce new technologies without compromising safety.
Many of the challenges being addressed through the 15 projects are interconnected.
Improved traction power management could support more efficient electrified operations, while better predictive maintenance could reduce disruption and improve asset availability. Advances in communications and positioning could also support future digital railway systems and safer working practices.
The significance of UKRRIN2 will ultimately depend on how effectively research findings are translated into practical applications.
By bringing together universities, infrastructure owners, operators and manufacturers from the outset, RSSB and Network Rail are seeking to improve that transition and ensure innovation investment is directed towards problems the industry needs to solve.
With 15 projects now funded and nine universities involved, the programme provides a new pipeline of collaborative research aimed at delivering measurable benefits for Britain’s railway.
