Emerging Technology Analysis

Advances in manufacturing and engineering are producing stronger, lighter, or more flexible materials. New properties are also being integrated into materials, including self-healing or self-cleaning capabilities. This series introduces materials which could improve the efficiency, resilience or versatility of the physical components of the railway.

Article: Carbon nanotubes
Article: How can rail utilise addictive manufacturing and 3D printing?
Article: Could 4D printing change how we design rolling stock and infrastructure?

Encompassing alternative energy and fuel sources such as biofuels and natural gas and technologies such as wireless charging and supercapacitors. The series considers the potential of these innovations to help rail combat climate change and achieve its sustainability goals.

Article: The potential of fuel cells to reduce emissions
Article: Where can wireless charging help us?
Article: Biofuels and sustainability

The intelligence series explores technologies rail could leverage to better use of data. The ability of tools such as AI and Network Optimisation Algorithms to process and intercept information may allow smarter, faster and safer decision-making. However, this is contingent on using the appropriate tools in the appropriate way.

Article: Machine learning and rail
Article: Predictive analytics for optimised rail operations
Article: How can digital twins aid predictive maintenance?

Digital connections and sensing technologies to improve the availability, speed, volume, and quality of data we can collect about, and act on, in rail. The series covers developments in technologies already implemented on rail, or which could be introduced in the future such as LIDAR, 5G, The Internet-of-Things, and Remote Condition Monitoring (RCM).

Article: How can rail exploit the increasing availability of geospatial data?
Article: How will smart containers help us realise intelligent trains?
Article: Biometrics and facial recognition

Technology focus covers technologies we consider highly significant to the future of rail, but outside the categories above. Technologies including virtual and augmented reality, driverless cars, drones and quantum computing are all evaluated for the threats and opportunities their current or future use will present to the rail industry.

Article: How will driverless cars impact rail in the future?
Article: How could augmented reality change working in rail?
Article: Will quantum computing transform optimisation of the rail network?