19.03.26 BRISTOL, Connected Places Catapult has announced today the names of four companies with rail-related technology to be selected to trial their products through the Station Innovation Zone at Bristol Temple Meads.

The Station Innovation Zone programme is delivered by Connected Places Catapult in partnership with Network Rail and is supported by Innovate UK. The programme serves as a testbed where rail technology innovators, buyers and investors can collaborate to shape the stations of tomorrow.

The companies selected for this year’s cohort answered two rail related challenges: improving the interchange experience (by addressing passenger rushing, and reducing anxiety); and station weather resilience – predicting, preventing and responding to surface condensation.

Three six-month trials will begin in the spring, and each project will receive up to £45,000 to support deployment of their innovations at the station.

The chosen companies and their innovations are:

DataWharf – developing a new journey support tool to help passengers understand stations, disruptions and onward travel with personalised multilingual guidance.

XRAI and Ampetronic – working together to develop AI-powered multilingual announcement systems to help railway passengers understand real time platform changes and travel updates through instant translation, captions and accessible ‘Auracast’ audio.

Trace Surveys – building a rugged multi-sensor device to predict and prevent condensation hazards while monitoring noise, vibration and air quality.

The solutions going through to trial stage were selected from a shortlist of eight SME-led projects announced in November. Since 2023, the Station Innovation Zone has supported 32 innovative firms to develop their ideas, with 11 of those selected to undertake live trials at Bristol Temple Meads.

“Congratulations to this latest group of innovative companies selected to trial their technologies at Bristol Temple Meads. These challenge areas focus innovation where it can have the greatest impact: creating calmer, safer journeys and enabling our stations to adapt to a changing world.

“Through the Station Innovation Zone, we are backing high potential SMEs to turn bold ideas into real-world deployments for the benefit of passengers and the wider rail network.”

Dr Alan Peters, Rail Director at Connected Places Catapult

“Making stations more accessible for passengers and continuing to improve safety are vitally important areas of focus for us at Network Rail. I am pleased to welcome this fourth cohort of innovators as they begin to trial their solutions as part of the Station Innovation Zone at Bristol Temple Meads.

“The programme continues to provide high-potential companies with a great opportunity to test and develop their exciting ideas in an operational environment. It also offers Network Rail the chance to see how new solutions can further enhance the experience of passengers.”

Brian Wortman, Senior Programme Manager at Network Rail