News

The rail freight sector is a complex system, involving a great number of different public and private stakeholders performing daily operations. The railway is going through a digital transformation and rail freight needs to keep up, especially if passenger and freight are to ever work alongside each other in harmony. Optimising operational efficiency has been a challenge since railways were first invented. With the coming of the ‘digital railway’ and big data being seen increasingly as a strategic asset to help guide decisions, KeTech discuss how big data can help increase the operational efficiency of the rail freight industry.

The UK has committed to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 and rail travel will play a monumental role on that journey to decarbonisation. Decarbonisation has never been higher on the agenda in rail, and although 2050 is a generation away any decisions made today will have a direct impact on the UK’s ability to meet its target in the most cost-effective way.

There are so many factors involved in people’s decision to use or not use trains. Cost, station location, ease of journey/number of stops, speed of journey, ease of access to facilities. As a technology company there is a limit to our ability to impact these factors since we don’t set the prices and we can’t […]

KeTech is thrilled to share that the team has successfully secured a contract with Alstom in Brisbane. KeTech is excited to be designing a bespoke system for Queensland Rail’s NGR fleet, and for the first time, deliver real-time information to the passengers of QR. KeTech is well known in the UK rail industry for its market leading real time information systems and it seems the news has travelled overseas, 9443 miles to be exact.

A successful collaboration between Porterbrook and the BCRRE has resulted in a revolutionary, green technology project that is central to decarbonising the railway by 2050. The UK’s first hydrogen powered train, dubbed as ‘HydroFLEX’, will be showcased at COP26 in November this year to demonstrate some of the best of British low-carbon train technology.

The UK has committed to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 and rail travel will play a monumental role on that journey to decarbonisation. Decarbonisation has never been higher on the agenda in rail, and although 2050 is a generation away any decisions made today will have a direct impact on the UK’s ability to meet its target in the most cost-effective way. The abandonment of the UK rail franchising system, technological progress and the declining costs of renewables means that green power can now be coupled with innovation and investment. The franchising system in UK rail could be seen as one of the reasons we haven’t seen implementation of measurable innovation, why? Because train operating companies (TOCs) with short-term contracts were simply never going to have the incentive to invest for the long term.