UKTram turns procurement into a launchpad for light rail innovation

UKTram’s Operational Innovation Group has turned its attention to a practical but often decisive part of transport innovation: procurement. At a meeting on 6 October, members examined how buying processes can be used not simply to manage risk and compliance, but to help new ideas move from early-stage concept to day-to-day service in the light rail sector.

The session featured Alan Hill and Colm Hughes of Axia Procurement, who set out how public sector buyers can create more ...

room for innovation by starting with the operational problem rather than a fixed solution. That approach, they argued, allows suppliers to bring forward a wider range of ideas and technologies, while helping operators and authorities focus on the outcome they need. The discussion also highlighted the value of early market engagement, which can give organisations a clearer view of what already exists, what it might cost, and which procurement route is most appropriate.

Members also considered how the sector might work more closely together to avoid duplication. In particular, the group looked at the use of procurement frameworks and whether greater visibility of existing arrangements, alongside more common requirements across networks, could make it easier for suppliers to work with multiple operators. That, in turn, could reduce repeated effort and create a more coherent market for innovation.

Tim Bilby, UKTram’s Stakeholder and Innovation Manager, said the meeting built on earlier discussion about the difficulties that public sector procurement rules can create for innovation. He said it was valuable to have a session devoted to options and best practice, delivered by Axia Procurement.

The group also began looking ahead to accessibility innovation. UKTram is exploring the idea of inviting small and medium-sized enterprises identified through Connected Places Catapult to present emerging solutions, alongside examples of initiatives already being trialled or deployed by operators. One example raised at the meeting was a Manchester scheme using QR-code lanyards to provide deaf passengers with live signing, including during service disruptions.

The focus on collaboration around procurement fits into a wider pattern in UKTram’s work this year. In April, the organisation announced a strategic partnership with Rail Forum aimed at connecting light and heavy rail around shared priorities, innovation and joint advocacy. It has also become a corporate member of the Permanent Way Institution, reflecting a growing emphasis on engineering standards, safety and infrastructure expertise within light rail. Alongside that, UKTram continues to engage with wider transport initiatives, including work linked to the Department for Transport’s Rough Sleeping on Public Transport Forum.

There is also a broader policy backdrop to the discussion. In its response to the Mass Transit Taskforce, UKTram argued that the UK needs a more consistent national framework for mass transit delivery, with better standardisation, a clearer pipeline of schemes and stronger use of lessons already learned across established networks. The organisation has said that many of the sector’s recurring difficulties stem from early-stage issues such as uncertain funding, fragmented governance and weak planning, rather than from delivery alone.

Accessibility remains another important part of the innovation agenda. Elsewhere in the sector, projects such as XRAI’s work through the Scaling Innovation Programme have shown the potential for technology to make transport information more inclusive, including offline captioning and translation tools designed for deaf, hard of hearing and multilingual passengers. That wider trend underlines the importance of involving disabled people in shaping solutions from the outset, rather than adapting systems later.

For UKTram, the Operational Innovation Group is becoming a forum where those themes meet in practice. By bringing operators, authorities, suppliers and specialist advisers together, the group is trying to make innovation less about isolated pilots and more about the structures that allow useful ideas to be adopted at scale. The next meeting is scheduled for 5 January 2027.

Source: Noah Wire Services