Signalbox’s Top 6 Highlights of 2022

2022 was an exceptionally busy year for Signalbox. From fascinating timelapse videos of the rail network to work on test projects that will improve passenger safety, we look at just some of the highlights of the last 12 months…

1. Live train map

Using a smartphone’s sensor and location data, Signalbox’s intelligent AI-driven software can pinpoint the exact train that a passenger is on. It’s like a ‘Shazam for Trains’, only instead of matching a few seconds of a tune, it matches a burst of geospatial sensor data to the unique signature of the train.

Over the course of 2022, we’ve further refined our software, including the API that tracks trains. With our API, partners can embed geospatial train maps in real time enabling passengers to view and track live train movements. The technology supports several use cases from mobile apps offering real-time journey mapping to creative digital signage in stations.

2. France prototype

Up until recently, Signalbox focused its train detection and live mapping technology solely in Britain. However, with support from innovation agency Innovate UK, we’re now tweaking our technology to cope with new data feeds and different geographies.

This year we’ve begun developing a working prototype to track French trains and carry out real-world beta testing. Incorporating various SNCF data feeds, we’re working towards supporting live train movements across France. It’s certainly an exciting time to embrace the challenge of working with different data feeds, timezones, networks and operators to deliver the map.

3. New lines – Elizabeth Line and Dartmoor Line

As new lines have opened, we have integrated them into Signalbox. This includes the Elizabeth Line which stretches more than 100km from Reading and Heathrow in the west to Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the east.

It also includes the Dartmoor Line, the first line to be reinstated under the UK Government’s Department for Transport ‘Restoring your railway’ initiative. The service runs with a 40-minute journey time from Okehampton and Exeter every hour, seven days a week.

4. Incident response

Every year there are millions of incidents on Britain’s railways but pinpointing them to the correct train is a major challenge for control room staff. While communication devices automatically share their location using GPS, this data is insufficient to locate the incident on a moving train.

Working with rail stakeholders including the Department for Transport, we were able to draw on our existing train detection technology and proprietary machine learning algorithm to deliver much more effective results. For the project, we developed a new tool that immediately identifies the train a caller is on and supplies live maps to the emergency services control room when a passenger reports a crime from a train.

5. Timelapse videos

Timelapse videos are a great way to see the trains in action as they move across the country. In 2022, we’ve produced several timelapse videos including one that illustrates the trainlines on the day of industrial action and compares it to the previous day and another that shows the effect of July’s heatwave on the rail network. We’ve also got some great ones lined up for 2023 so make sure you keep checking our site to see them!

6. New partnerships

2022 has seen us embark on a number of new partnerships with rail operators. For example, we recently won a place on London North East Railway’s Future Labs Accelerator and are pleased to announce the beta launch of a new version of Signalbox for them.

Built exclusively for LNER, this latest update of our software incorporates our live train map, the ‘find my train’ tool and ETA sharing functionality into one simple application.

Highlights from 2022. From left to right: 4. Incident response; 5. Timelapse videos; 6. New partnerships.

Looking forward to 2023!

2022 has been a brilliant year in which we’ve worked on some exciting and innovative projects with some great partners. We look forward to seeing what 2023 brings as we develop our innovative AI-driven, train detection technology even further.