Network Rail has tested a quantum navigation system on the national rail network for the first time.

The trial – which the rail operator claims to be the first of its kind in the world – covers the Rail Quantum Inertial Navigation System (RQINS), which is designed to determine a train’s position without satellite signals such as GPS. The system uses sensors that detect small changes in motion and rotation so it can calculate location in places where traditional tools struggle, including tunnels and dense urban areas.

The technology is being developed as a potential alternative to fixed trackside positioning infrastructure, which can be costly to install and maintain and is exposed to disruption and equipment failure. Network Rail said quantum positioning could support cheaper, more reliable train location, better network planning and closer monitoring of rail infrastructure.

RQINS was installed on a Great Northern service operated by Govia Thameslink Railway and tested between central London and Welwyn Garden City earlier this month. Network Rail said the run provided engineers with operational data on how quantum positioning performs in live service.

The programme builds on earlier work by the Ministry of Defence and trials on Transport for London’s network.

Development is led by a consortium headed by MoniRail, with contributions from Imperial College London, the University of Sussex, QinetiQ, PA Consulting and the National Physical Laboratory. The project is backed by Innovate UK and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

The initiative is coordinated by GBRX, the strategic innovation and technology body for Great British Railways, which aims to speed up adoption of new technologies across the rail sector.

Toufic Machnouk, managing director of GBRX, said that developing new technologies within a railway network is essential and that the programme is a first step in understanding how quantum positioning could reshape how railways work.

“Quantum sensing is one of the UK Government’s frontier technological priorities. Railways, as one of the country’s most complex operational systems, provide a powerful platform for developing and scaling these capabilities for rail and beyond,” he added. “This test represents an early but important step in that development journey and demonstrates how collaboration between government, academia and industry can accelerate the development of frontier technologies.”

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