Innovative technology start-ups aimed at improving train journeys and making rail more accessible for disabled passengers have been awarded funding to develop their ideas.

 

Seven schemes including an app for sign language users that employs augmented reality and a system to help station staff manage requests from disabled passengers will receive a share of £600,000 from Government.

 

This comes following an innovation competition run by the Rail Safety & Standards Board (RSSB).

 

“Everyone deserves the right to travel independently and with confidence,” said Transport Accessibility Minister Nusrat Ghani. “I am delighted that these innovative projects have been picked to improve people’s journeys, and look forward to seeing how they benefit passengers in the years to come.”

 

RSSB chief executive Mark Phillips added: “These ideas will help achieve our aim of improving overall access to the railways for disabled people and contribute to a better, safer railway.”

 

One of the projects to have been awarded funding is the ‘Signly’ app, which gives people who are deaf or hard of hearing access to written travel and safety notices by delivering signed content to their smartphone or tablet.

 

Users of the app are able to point their phone at a notice and a pre-recorded sign language interpreter will appear on screen using augmented reality technology.

 

The project’s co-founder Mark Applin said: “The grant funding affords the opportunity to meet deaf passengers and rail employees and develop simple tools that can make a difference day in, day out.”

 

Other schemes to receive funding include the ‘Rail4All’ app to help station staff prioritise requests for support from disabled passengers and notify the user that their request has been seen.

 

‘Accessible Journey Pocket Assistant’ is a journey planner giving passengers bespoke guidance for every step of their trip, while the ‘Nodality’ website provides users with all the information they need to understand how accessible a station is.

 

The ‘Accessibility Evaluation Survey for Stations’ tool helps those responsible for station accessibility to identify problems and prioritise improvements.

 

The competition also included a focus on less visible impairments, with funding going to a study into increasing frontline staff’s understanding of the difficulties faced by passengers with hidden disabilities, such as dementia.

 

In addition the ‘Aubin’ app is designed to improve rail journeys for people with autism by using stress related preferences, rather than time or cost, to help the user reach their destination.