Passenger trials for Temple Meads ‘station innovation zone’ to begin in April 

Passenger trials at Temple Meads will begin from as early as April, as part of a new programme to make the grade 1-listed terminal the UK’s first ‘station innovation zone’.

A new programme will see the major regional transport hub turned into a ‘testing laboratory’, in which various innovative start-ups will develop their proposals over the next six years, in the hopes of making the passenger experience smoother, safer and more efficient.

The programme is the result of a partnership between Network Rail and Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovator accelerator for cities transport and place leadership.

On Thursday, March 10, nine SMEs launched their testing ideas, and three will be chosen to develop their proposals through to live testing at the station.

Connected Places Catapult and Network Rail hope Temple Meads will create a real world facility to test innovations and ideas, where start-ups will be able to use the site as a mini laboratory, accessing station and passenger data in real time.

Proposals range from making journeys smoother with smart ticketing, to making stations more accessible with a wayfinding app, and using AI to improve people flow, to designing better facilities using human-centred design principles.

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Read more: Temple Meads to become UK’s first station innovation zone

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One start-up hopes to make the centre more accessible for deaf people by introducing signage across Temple Meads which is translated through an app on your phone.

Senior programme manager at Network Rail, Brian Wortman, said the project was a “real opportunity to address the specific problems at Temple Meads”.

The announcement follows the government’s levelling-up announcement of £95m for the Bristol Temple Quarter regeneration programme, which will see major developments in the area around the station over the next 20 years, from housing and business to transport.

Connected Places Catapult funding will complement the ongoing revitalisation of the station, joining around £60m of the funding from the government to enable improvements in and around Temple Meads, including three new entrances to the station, as well as infrastructure works and new public spaces nearby.

The company hopes that, if successful, the innovative programme will transform Temple Meads into a key transport hub for the West of England, increasing passenger traffic, while making it smoother and more efficient, as well as opening up other key routes across the region.

Network Rail Wales & Western region investment director, Francis McGarry, said: “We are committed to developing Bristol Temple Meads into a world class transport hub for the benefit of our passengers, the city of Bristol and wider West of England region, so it is fitting Bristol Temple Meads has been chosen as the UK’s first Station Innovation Zone.”

Main photo: Betty Woolerton

Read next:

• ‘Major milestone’ in Temple Quarter regeneration project
• ‘Huge challenge’ to get Temple Meads redevelopment cash going to local Bristol firms
• Bristol Temple Quarter gets £95m of government funds to level up

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