Northern joins other train operators and tech start-ups to shape rail industry future

Northern, which runs services through Ilkeston Railway Station, is one of four rail network operators to work alongside nine technology start-up businesses to support innovation in the rail industry.

Along with Southeastern, LNER and Transpennine Express, Northern is part of Future Labs, which seeks to accelerate ideas that address common and emerging issues for the sector.

In the first scheme of its kind, the successful companies will receive unique insight and mentorship during a 12-week programme to bring their products and services to life.

They will have the opportunity to apply, test and demonstrate their ideas in a real-world environment, with access to industry data, as well as mentors and subject matter experts.

Richard Harrison, chief financial officer of DOHL, which has responsibility for the four operators involved in Future Labs, said: "Our railways are essential in connecting people across the country and play a vital role in supporting the UK's economy.

"Working together we can find innovative solutions to drive forward growth by making the best use of technology to improve train performance, accessibility and customer experience."

More than 100 companies applied to be part of Future Labs, each proposing innovative solutions and products which address four categories:

• Enhancing customer experience
• Improving performance and operational excellence
• Developing people and talent
• A wildcard category

The finalists were selected by rail industry leaders following a pitch day in York earlier in August 2024. They are:

• Chata.ai’s solution enables organisations to harness their data through proactive self-service analytics, allowing users to access real-time insights by asking simple questions.
   
• Cleancore Intelligence offers a solution for tracking cleaning compliance and footfall that removes manual record keeping by highlighting where cleaning is needed.
   
• 1Huddle is a recruitment, engagement and development platform that uses games to train up, onboard and attract talent. Games range from one to two minutes with high-impact games that can be played anytime, anywhere, on the go. Managers can build games quickly and staff can get rewarded.
   
• iqast provides fully automatic forecasting solution with Artificial Intelligence and machine learning. It can be adapted to a company’s unique needs and can work independently, avoiding the need to integrate within the company’s infrastructure.
   
• Cognition24 offer a mobile app designed for individuals with Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and other hidden disabilities. The technology gives real-time travel information in an accessible format before leaving home, at the station and onboard. It provides information such as finding the quietest coach and receiving announcement messages, even while wearing noise-cancelling headphones.
   
• Zing Data has developed a platform offering Artificial Intelligence powered, business intelligence and visual data analytics solutions. It offers natural language querying that can figure out complex calculations and relationships automatically.
   
• Treeva offers a solution which captures renewable energy from the turbulent airflow of passing transport. The modular design is easy to install and maintain on the side of roads or railways and makes use of readily available land and could power infrastructure to support net-zero transport systems.
   
• PotentialU offers a solution designed to help frontline leaders get an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their team. It provides insights and helps leaders engage more effectively with their teams.
   
• Moonbility is a digital twin company, specialising in predicting and simulating asset failures in the transport sector, helping companies to plan and mitigate any possible impacts.

Daniel Saunders, CEO of L Marks, which is running the Future Labs programme, said: “The energy at the Future Labs Pitch Day was electric! It has been fantastic to witness the engagement from LNER, Northern, Southeastern, and TransPennine Express over the past few months and during the day itself.

“I was incredibly impressed by the entrepreneurs behind the nine companies that have been selected to join the programme and I’m excited to see how Future Labs will fast track these innovations to shape the future of the rail industry.”

Find out more about the Future Labs programme here.