Hitachi Rail Europe and Hitachi Information Control Systems have jointly contributed funding towards the new partnership of universities and railway industry suppliers. The partnership – part of the newly-created UK Railway Research and Innovation Network (UKRRIN), has received £92 million including funding from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund (UKRPIF) and rail suppliers. Bids for funding have been led by the University of Birmingham. Hitachi Rail Europe already works closely with educational partners in the North East, where the company builds trains at their Newton Aycliffe manufacturing facility.
The UKRPIF funding will be used to create three linked worldclass centres of excellence, which will focus on: These centres of excellence, together with existing UK Rail Test Centres, will become the foundation of UKRRIN, bringing together the UK rail supply industry and academia to undertake world-leading research and innovation in rail. The UKRRIN will support delivery of the ambitious Rail Technical Strategy and is aligned with the aims of the Government’s Industrial Strategy. With these world class centres of excellence, the UK rail supply industry will be able to develop world leading new technologies and products for trains, railway systems and infrastructure that will deliver a better, more reliable and efficient railway.
Passengers will directly benefit from the research leading to improved technology; a better infrastructure with increased reliability that can be more effectively managed; and new digital signalling systems that will allow additional trains to run on the network. The High Speed 2 project will also be an early beneficiary of the world leading research. Koji Agatsuma, Head of Engineering at Hitachi Rail Europe, said: Professor Sir David Eastwood, Vice-Chancellor at the University of Birmingham, said: “These are exciting times for railways, which have become integral to how people live and economies grow in the 21st Century. UKRRIN gives British universities and rail industry partners the opportunity to shape the global future of railways.
“The University of Birmingham is renowned for its rail research, and innovations in railway control, command, and communication will be the key to significantly improve the quality of railway services. “We’re looking forward to working with research and industry partners across the world to deliver innovation that establishes the UK as a world-leading centre of rail excellence.”
