26.02.16
RSSB offer £4.5m funding for innovations to reduce track damage
A £4.5m competition has been launched by the RSSB to find innovations to reduce damage to tracks by rail vehicles.
RSSB, a not for profit organisation which aims to promote railway safety and performance, will offer up to £4.5m funding to winning suggestions for improvements to rail vehicles, which could reduce suspension and wheelset maintenance costs and enable vehicles to transition between main line and branch line running more easily.
It is hoped that the proposed innovations will decrease the cost of track repair and running gear maintenance, which can decrease vibrations and noise and help to improve comfort for passengers.
Neil Webster, RSSB Future Railway programme director, said: “The costs associated with repairing and maintaining track damage and vehicle running gear is a long standing challenge for the rail industry amounting to an estimated cost of £350m plus, per annum.
“Improving the technology not only opens up the opportunity for greater flexibility for the use of trains on both slow and fast lines but also help improve the levels of comfort experienced by passengers.”
The competition briefing can be viewed here.
A briefing event will be held in London on 24 March to provide organisations with the opportunity to discuss the competition scope in detail. To register interest in attending, click here.