Improving incident response with live train tracking

We’re pleased to announce that Signalbox is among the winners of the DfT’s Transport Research Innovation Grants Programme (TRIG) Programme 2021. 

Our project - to improve incident response on Britain’s railways with live train tracking - will deliver a new application for Signalbox API that draws upon our existing train detection technology to display train information and live maps to the emergency services control room when a passenger reports a crime from a train.

Every year millions of incidents are reported on Britain’s railways, some from stations or trackside, and many from a moving train. Matching incidents to a specific train quickly and accurately is a challenge for control room staff whose priority is to deliver a rapid informed response.

Our project for TRIG will support call handlers by enhancing the location information of emergency calls from the rail network, augmenting and enhancing the static data that is provided - which can be inaccurate, and quickly becomes irrelevant when a call originates from a train. 

By matching incidents to the live location of a train - automating a process that uses valuable time and improving accuracy when callers are unable to describe their exact location - this project will demonstrate that Signalbox‘s train detection and mapping tools can support the emergency services to respond more quickly, making our railways safer. 

About TRIG

Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG 2021) are an initiative from The Department for Transport (DfT), in partnership with Connected Places Catapult, to fund and support innovations that facilitate a better transport system. 

Now in its 11th round of funding, the TRIG programme has allowed entrepreneurs and academics on the front line of innovation to develop new technologies, products and services that will enhance the way we travel.  

Transport Minister, Trudy Harrison, said:

Innovation funded as part of TRIG could be the key to unlocking a more efficient and safer transport system for tomorrow. Now in its 11th round of funding, the TRIG programme, delivered in partnership with Connected Places Catapult, brings together talented start-ups – mainly SMEs and universities – and policymakers at the earliest stage of innovation to help enhance the UK’s transport system.