2024 has been a year of change, challenge and innovation for the rail industry, with developments in the passenger, freight and supply chain sectors which look set to shape the future – both short and long term.
Out with the old, in with the new
Of course, we couldn’t talk about 2024 without mentioning politics. Even before the general election was announced on that rainy day in May, there had been much speculation about what a change in government might mean for the country’s railways.
We didn’t have to wait long to find out. Within just a few days of the election, the incoming government outlined its vision for a radical overhaul of transport, with plans to bring the UK’s railways back into public ownership.
Legislation will be amended so that when contracts come to an end, commercial passenger operations will move to the public sector by default rather than as a last resort. The aim is to establish a more efficient, higher quality and reliable service for passengers.
South Western Railway will be the first rail operator to be nationalised next year, when its current contract ends in May. Two more operators, C2C and Greater Anglia, will come under public ownership in the autumn of 2025.
Passenger experience takes centre stage
With policy makers sharpening the focus on improving passenger services, rail operators are looking at how they can further improve the travel experience for their passengers.
One area that has come under the spotlight this year is passenger information. Passenger rail operators are exploring new ways to help passengers plan their journeys, manage disruption and find alternative services when needed.
A good example of this came in October, when Network Rail and its train operating partners announced a trial of an earlier boarding system for Avanti West Coast and London Northwestern Railway train services. Providing departure information sooner is intended to improve passengers’ experience at Euston station and significantly reduce instances of the ‘Euston rush’.
Call for greener business travel
The shift from commuter to leisure travel has continued to play out this year, as hybrid working models become more established. However, business travel is still a key market for rail, and rail bosses have been exploring ways to better serve business travellers.
With 76% of UK businesses seeing sustainability as a core business strategy in 2024 according to an Ecologi survey, the rail industry is increasingly promoting the environmental benefits of the train as the business transport of choice.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) has been helping businesses make more informed decisions about lower carbon travel with its Green Travel Pledge, an initiative which Velociti played a key role in delivering, working with the team at RDG to crunch the numbers to calculate the carbon dioxide emissions for thousands of rail journeys.
Data from more than 40,000 routes shows businesses they can substantially decrease emissions if they switch from car to train for business travel across Britain. Spoiler alert: the train is almost nine times greener than a petrol or diesel car.
Strong response to freight growth targets
At the end of 2023, the Office for Rail and Road announced ambitious targets to grow rail freight by at least 75% by 2050. While that might seem a very long way off right now, the targets have focused industry minds on the long term view of how rail freight can serve the country.
Rail has a key advantage over road in terms of freight. With decarbonisation at the top of the agenda, modal shift – moving more goods onto rail – is crucial to reducing carbon emissions. In 2024, the rail freight industry has seen operators looking for ways to drive efficiency and make it easier for businesses to transport goods by rail.
We are working closely with our freight customers and Network Rail to address their needs, building new software to accurately analyse network availability and help unlock ‘hidden’ paths on the network. Given this backdrop, it is true to say that rail freight has been an important focus in our R&D this year, and we’ll have more to share on this in 2025 – watch this space.
HS2 extension to Euston Station
In the October budget, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that HS2 will run into central London rather than terminating at Old Oak Common in West London, and tunnelling will begin between Old Oak Common and Euston Station.
HS2 representatives believe this will not only open up a vital gateway for passengers travelling to and from the north and midlands, but will also support the regeneration of Euston.
The decision offers clarity on the UK’s largest and most complex infrastructure programme, and it’s also big news for Velociti as we provide the BulkSmart software which helps to manage the logistics for the disposal of the tunnelling spoil, which goes into the stockpile at Willesden.
We’re excited about the opportunity to continue our involvement in the project, as well as the possibility it offers us to keep developing solutions for our freight and supply chain customers.
A look ahead to 2025
The Rail Safety and Standards Board has announced that, “our work in 2025 will support the industry to reduce costs, increase safety, and improve efficiency.” These will continue to be the overriding themes next year. As a result, there is likely to be a need for more technology to streamline industry processes and support safety initiatives, such as the improvement of communication of safety critical information to assist with risk reduction and creating a better-informed workforce.
As technology continues to transform rail, there’ll be an opportunity to look back too, as 2025 marks the 200th anniversary of the modern railway.
We’re looking forward to getting involved in Railway 200, and celebrating the past, present and future of rail with our colleagues from across the industry.
