What Moves Us

What Moves Us - 2025 Look-back

Our year-end episode brings the team together for a quick look back and a clear look ahead. We reflect on how the Skills Beyond Scale work shaped 2025, and we revisit highlights including the Heathrow Express Supplier Challenge and a growing, engaged community. We outline plans for 2026: a milestone year marking the Rail Innovation Group’s tenth anniversary!

Featuring the Rail Innovation Group leaders: Liam Henderson, Deb Carson and Johannah Randall

What Moves Us - Building, Not Boasting: Rail Live Download on Data, UX and Interoperability

Liam is joined by friend of the pod, OpenTransport Initiative's Hayden Sutherland, to unpack three fast-moving themes from Rail Live in Madrid. They compare what was promised on stage with what is actually being built, digging into where agentic AI is useful, where it struggles with complex, high-stakes choices, and why good visual UX still beats long conversational lists. The pair link this to the hard graft behind the scenes, from data quality and APIs to cross-sector standards and interoperability, with a wry metro mishap reminding us that a capable human still matters. For startups, the takeaway is clear. Do fewer shiny demos and invest in richer, trustworthy data and integration so your product scales beyond an MVP.

railinnovationgroup.com

opentransport.co.uk

terrapinn.com/conference/rail-live/index.stm

 

What Moves Us - Looking Forward to the Heathrow Express Supplier Challenge

In this episode, we sit down with Chris Jones from Heathrow Express—the team behind the 15-minute airport express—to hear how they’re throwing open the doors to new suppliers.

Heathrow Express is inviting startups and SMEs to help solve three real-world challenges:

• easing the pain of staff travel through airport security,

• showcasing and strengthening the premium passenger experience, and

• cracking the “last mile” connection beyond Paddington.

These aren’t theoretical ideas. They’re live problems waiting for practical, scalable solutions.

It all leads to the Heathrow Express Supplier Challenge on 9 December—a one-day, Dragons’ Den-style event where innovators will pitch directly to Heathrow Express and Heathrow Airport decision-makers. Expect a hands-on day: a ride out from Paddington, live pitches at Heathrow, and evening networking with the people who can actually make things happen.

If you build digital tools, passenger tech, or data-driven services and have ever thought “we could make rail run better,” this is your moment.

🎟️ Find out more and register here: Heathrow Express Supplier Challenge on Eventbrite

Tune in, get inspired, and get ready to step onto the platform.

What Moves Us - Recording Your Mobile calls for safety-critical rail comms: what changes in March and how to get ready

In our latest episode, Johannah and Liam are joined by Rail Innovation Group member Pipcall's Johan Gericke and end user Miles Allcock. We dig into the upcoming requirement for trackside verbal communications to be recorded across the supply chain, not just by Network Rail control rooms. Johan explains what the rule means in practice for contractors and suppliers, and how mobile call recording can close the gaps when personal or site mobiles are used on track. Miles shares how access to recordings can protect everyone involved in safety critical work.

This episode covers the tech that makes this solution workable in the field: cellular call recording rather than VoIP for clearer, more reliable audio, and the “phone-within-a-phone” set-up.

Show link
Pipcall guide: Call recording for safety-critical communications in rail: https://www.pipcall.com/resource/call-recording-for-safety-critical-communications-in-rail

What Moves Us - Interview with Tara Walsh: Navigating Innovation Inside Network Rail

In this episode, we speak with Tara Walsh, Project Manager for the Innovation Acceleration Forum within Network Rail’s Capital Delivery team. Tara shares how the Forum helps streamline the path from promising idea to practical adoption: supporting innovators with open conversations, clear feedback, and guidance through trials, product acceptance, and procurement.

We explore how technical and non-technical voices work together to assess whether a product solves a real problem, saves time or money, and is truly scalable and sustainable. Tara offers insight into the challenges of rolling out innovations across a large, complex organisation—and why success isn’t just about flashy tech, but about doing the basics well and understanding the business need.

Plus, we unpack the cultural shift underway in rail, where teams are beginning to ask: What else can we do? and How can we do things differently? Tara’s top tip for innovators? Keep it sharp, relevant, and focused—don’t bring a like-for-like solution and expect to impress.

What Moves Us – Innovation Beyond the Lightbulb Moment

In this episode, Johannah and Liam speak with Philip Pozzo di Borgo-Oliver, Managing Partner at Eureka!Europe, a consultancy that helps organisations build the internal capability to innovate—whether they're early-stage start-ups or established corporates.

We explore the journey from idea to implementation: how to embed innovation culture across a business, how to overcome or manage projects through the business cycles that stall progress, and whether your organisation is innovating to create something new or simply to remove internal barriers. Philip brings sharp insights into Innovation Engineering, and shares his observations on the UK rail sector—highlighting how political uncertainty can undermine morale and momentum for change.

If you've ever wondered how to turn a "Eureka!" moment into a real-world result, or how to nurture innovation in systems not built to move fast, this one’s for you.

What Moves Us: Why Absence Isn’t Always Sickness

In this episode, we speak with Antonio Ribeiro, CEO and Founder of Yurtle, a care-tech startup born from his personal journey as a caregiver. Antonio shares the story behind Yurtle’s creation: a platform designed to support employees when their usual care arrangements with a registered provider, such as a nursery or domiciliary care agency, unexpectedly fall through.

 

Yurtle helps people stay in work, avoid unplanned absences, and navigate the challenges of the “sandwich generation” caring for both children and elderly relatives.

 

We explore how this solution is addressing critical gaps in the social care system by providing financial support during care breakdowns. This empowers employees to respond quickly and practically in moments of crisis.

 

Antonio also highlights how Yurtle’s model not only reduces absence rates, particularly in shift-based sectors like rail, but also supports a more diverse and multigenerational workforce. By enabling carers, often women, to stay in work and maintain career progression, Yurtle promotes a more inclusive and empathetic workplace culture.

 

This conversation reveals the hidden cost of broken care systems on employment and how smart, empathetic tech can make industries like rail more inclusive, resilient, and people focused.

What Moves Us: Mind the Gap – Where Rail Needs to Innovate

What Moves Us – Episode 5: Mind the Gap – Where Rail Needs to Innovate

In this episode, we explore the innovation gap in rail and ask: will technology meet changing passenger expectations?

As behaviours shift, so do the demands on service delivery - but who has the oversight, authority, and appetite to invest in transformative tech? With the rail industry edging toward greater centralisation, could nationalisation actually make it easier to innovate, thanks to better collaboration and less duplication across the network?

We unpack the opportunities and complexities of procurement in a nationalised industry, and what this means for start-ups trying to gain traction in rail.

We also tackle one of the industry's biggest challenges: how to attract the next generation of engineers, developers, and digital talent. What will it take to make rail an attractive career destination?

This episode links to our upcoming event, Becoming the Employer of Choice, and continues the conversation on how the rail sector can position itself to recruit, retain and inspire the talent needed to drive innovation forward. For more details head to: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/the-rail-innovation-group-12086193246

What Moves Us: Is Now the Moment for Start-ups to Supply into Rail?

In this fourth instalment of our How to be a Start-Up in Rail series, we dive into the critical material that start-ups need to navigate the rail sector: the challenges, the opportunities, and why there’s never been a more exciting time to get involved.

We ask the big question: Is now the moment for start-ups to supply into rail? With a growing recognition from government of the barriers small tech companies face, and the need to embrace technology to drive efficiency, is there finally a plan to improve access and make the most of what start-ups have to offer?

We highlight how small companies—agile and tech-driven—are often best placed to bring cutting-edge solutions to market quickly.

The GB rail ecosystem is brimming with the talent, ideas, and energy needed to drive digitisation, boost sustainability, and improve passenger experience. But what’s the best route in? Should start-ups look to collaborate with larger, established suppliers to fast-track their journey—especially ahead of the formation of Great British Railways?

We also unpack different start-up mindsets: those aiming for scale and exit, and those in it for the long haul.

Finally, we offer practical guidance on accessing funding, especially R&D grants—ideal for early-stage support—and share top tips for writing a strong application: start early, be clear, and prepare well.

 

Find out more about the Rail Innovation Group at: railinnovationgroup.com

What Moves Us: Skills Beyond Scale

In this episode, Deb, Johannah, and Liam discuss the Rail Innovation Group's latest research report, Skills Beyond Scale, which explores the skills landscape within our vibrant community of startups and small digital companies. They highlight the crucial role our members play in driving innovation and shaping the future of rail through cutting-edge technology.

Join the conversation as they discuss how the community is harnessing AI, data analytics, and other advanced technologies to:

• Develop groundbreaking digital solutions
• Transform customer experiences
• Enhance operational efficiency

The team also examines the emerging skills our members need to stay ahead and the challenges they face in upskilling for the future. This report launch marks the start of a series of events throughout 2025, so stay tuned for more discussions on this critical topic.

Download the report: railinnovationgroup.com/thoughtpieces