Connected Places Catapult picks ten rail tech firms for up to £25,000 growth support

Connected Places Catapult has selected ten companies with early-stage rail technologies for its Rail Growth Support Programme, offering each tailored business support worth up to £25,000 to move their products towards adoption across the network.

The programme is delivered by the Catapult in partnership with Network Rail and supported by Innovate UK, the Catapult said in its announcement on 9 October 2026. The cohort was selected from across the Catapult's alumni network.

Support over the coming months will include access to industry expert insight, mentoring, stakeholder connections, station visits and trial design, according to the Catapult.

Dr Alan Peters, Rail Director at Connected Places Catapult, said: "The rail industry is entering a period of significant change, with Great British Railways bringing track and train closer together."

The ten companies

Several of the selected firms are applying artificial intelligence (AI) to passenger support and station operations. Cloudavian is developing Pocket, an AI travel companion and station kiosk for passengers with accessibility needs, while Transport Direction is working on Rowntree's Post, an AI-enabled assistant for unstaffed stations.

Future Transformation is building AI station intelligence to help operators understand passenger flow, accessibility barriers and safety risks. Rinicom is developing AI-driven train-to-platform interfaces, called YellowLine and DTUP, for real-time platform risk detection.

Inclutech is developing accessible digital reporting technology so passengers and staff can raise safety concerns without verbal communication. Digital Creativity in Disability is working on a trackside millimetre-wave network to give train operators high-capacity onboard connectivity.

On the asset and fleet side, Amygda is developing an operational risk platform to help fleet reliability teams decide which trains and subsystems need attention first. Rivelin Rail is building handheld and on-board technology to help operators understand wheel/rail friction.

Civil Water Management is developing a modular drainage system for railway filter drains, intended to cut maintenance interventions and whole-life costs. GoRolloe is working on a mobile industrial emissions control unit to improve air quality for transport workers and passengers.

Building on Bristol Temple Meads

The Catapult said the new programme builds on its Station Innovation Zone (SIZ), which has supported more than 35 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), enabled 12 live trials at Bristol Temple Meads station and awarded more than £670,000 in funding.

Network Rail announced in October 2022 that a multi-million pound programme would turn Bristol Temple Meads into the UK's first Station Innovation Zone, with the Catapult directing Innovate UK funding into the scheme and plans to roll the model out to other stations as it succeeds. The Catapult's playbook gives the zone's running dates as 2023 to 2028 and describes it as a collaboration between the Catapult, the Bristol Temple Meads station team and Network Rail Western Route.

In November 2024 the Catapult said the zone had supported 20 innovators, six of which had run trials over the previous two years, as it selected eight organisations to develop trial proposals for the zone's third year.

The zone's fourth-year call, which closed to applications on 24 September 2025, offered up to eight businesses up to £4,000 each to develop a trial plan, with up to three able to proceed to six-month live trials at the station, each receiving up to £45,000 to support deployment.

Brian Wortman, Senior Programme Manager at Network Rail, said on the Catapult's SIZ programme page: "As one of the UK's largest infrastructure clients, Network Rail recognises the value of supporting home-grown innovators".

The Great British Railways context

The Department for Transport (DfT) said the Railways Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 5 November 2025, and that Great British Railways (GBR) is expected to be operational around 12 months after the bill receives Royal Assent.

According to the DfT, integrated leadership teams combining track and train have already been set up for Anglia, South Eastern and South Western, with further regions to come.

The Catapult said the ten companies will work with rail industry experts over the coming months to explore how their solutions could address challenges across the sector, with the aim of taking them closer to operational adoption.