LNER is celebrating a significant achievement after winning an award that recognises its vital contribution to protecting wildlife along the railway while enhancing service and customer experience.
In collaboration with Network Rail, LNER has been honoured with the ‘Remarkable Innovation for Large Organisations’ award at the 2024 Dynamites IT and Tech Awards. This accolade was given for their Automated Deer Deterrent System, designed to reduce deer strikes on the railway.
The system, installed in deer hotspot areas across the East Coast Main Line, including near Grantham, uses AI technology to detect approaching deer. It then emits audible alarms and uses lights to safely deter the animals away from the tracks.
Deer strikes can have a significant impact on railway operations. They can shock and upset drivers, delay the involved train by an average of 48 minutes, block the line, delay other services, and cause substantial damage to trains.
Since the technology's installation in May 2023, the results have been overwhelmingly positive. Over 6,000 deterrent events have been recorded, with some areas reporting no strikes following the installation.
Ross Welham, LNER’s Lead Digital Research and Innovation Manager, stated: “This award win is testament to the hard work and dedication that teams from both LNER and Network Rail have displayed in tackling this important issue. Since Covid, the deer population has grown massively and, sadly, we were seeing more deer strikes on the East Coast route. This technology greatly reduces the likelihood of an incident and the results speak for themselves. Some hotspot areas have seen no strikes since the introduction of the system, protecting the deer population, and improving railway performance for our customers.”
Johanna Priestley, Route Engineer for Network Rail’s East Coast route, added:
"It’s great that our joint project with LNER to reduce delays due to deer strikes on the East Coast Main Line is getting recognition for its innovative approach."
“Our Automated Deer Deterrent System is making a real difference in protecting wildlife whilst at the same time cutting down lengthy delays for passengers and freight on one of the busiest mainline railway lines in Britain.”
The technology is more cost-effective and quicker to install than traditional deer fencing. LNER and Network Rail hope to continue rolling out the system more widely across other areas of the route.
The Dynamites are the North East’s highly anticipated IT and Technology awards. This year marked the 11th year of the awards, welcoming over 500 guests from more than 150 organisations.
Photo credit: LNER
