The Department for Transport has awarded £3.6m to 10 projects designed to help improve rail passenger travel, including a design for that could increase seats at peak hours by almost a third.
The projects is going to businesses to develop and demonstrate technologies to improve passenger experience on UK railways.
Transcal Engineering Limited is set to receive almost £350,000 for its seat initiative Horizon, which could allow 'between 20-30% more seats per carriage (based on a typical commuter train), as well as increased standing space'.
Other projects include:
- a carriage design that can quickly switch from carrying passengers to carrying goods
- beacons that guide visually-impaired passengers through the station and to their seat
- technology enabling disabled passengers to seek real-time assistance with their journey
- an augmented reality application that highlights a journey’s landmarks
The technologies will be showcased through real-life demonstrators, enabling passengers to experience and feedback on the innovations.
Rail Minister Jo Johnson said: 'While we have introduced real-time platform information, taken big strides on safety and improved how we manage our railways to accommodate more services on existing tracks, the pace of change can sometimes be slower than we would like to see.
'[The] funding is part of a wider programme of activities to speed up the delivery of new ideas and high-value innovations, which can have a big impact on passengers’ journeys.'
The funding was offered through a 'First of a Kind' competition run by Innovate UK.
Ian Meikle, director of infrastructure systems at Innovate UK, said: 'The UK railway is carrying more and more passengers, and they rightly demand improvements to their journeys. What we are announcing today are tangible innovations, which each in their own way will make train travel better.'
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