Reimagining our railways and stations

Ask any Londoner what the city’s greatest challenge is and they’ll probably mention the housing crisis or, more specifically, the affordable housing crisis.

Over the last 40 years, London’s population has boomed from 6.9 million in 1980 to 9.6 million today. London now hosts 6 million jobs, £1.5 trillion of housing assets and a £4 trillion property asset base.

All of that growth has put enormous pressure on the affordability of living and working in London.

In this episode we meet Graeme Craig, CEO of Places for London – an innovate, TfL-owned property company that is transforming how under-utilised public land can be developed with the private sector.

What does this new model of place-making mean for London’s people and communities, and how might a different approach to property investment help tackle some of London’s persistent challenges?

Theme music on this episode is by Phill Ward Music (www.phillward.com) 

In this episode we meet Professor Dame Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge; member of the House of Lords and an engineer by training.

We talked about the UK Government’s ambition to become a science and technology superpower by 2030; what it’s like to straddle the worlds of academia, industry, and government; the role that data and digital has to play in making our national infrastructure more resilient; and how alloys in aeroplane engines react under extreme pressure!

Julia began her academic career by studying metals, and the composite structures used in wind turbines. Her specialty was designing metal alloys that are resistant to cracks under pressure. 

Over the years she went on to teaching positions at the Universities of Nottingham and Cambridge, as well as senior positions at Rolls Royce, the Institute of Physics, Imperial College, and she also served as Vice-Chancellor of Aston University.

In 2007 Julia was appointed by Gordon Brown to lead the King Review, which looked at a route to decarbonising a major segment of the transport sector within 25 years, making an important contribution to the UK's plans to try and achieve Net Zero.

Julia then became a crossbench member of the House of Lords in 2015 and is now the chair of its Science and Technology Committee, which is holding the government to account on its promise to make the UK a science superpower by 2030.  

 Theme music on this episode is by Phill Ward Music (www.phillward.com) 

It’s been another eventful year on the Connected Places Podcast and we’ve got a lot to look back on as 2023 draws to a close!

In this episode we revisit some of the stories we’ve featured on the show this year, and the fascinating guests we’ve been able to have on.

We hear from three companies making extraordinary strides on the use of connected digital twins to tackle real world problems; RoyalHaskoningDHV, National Grid ESO and IOTICS.

We return to Bristol Temple Meads station where the UK's first Station Innovation Zone was launched earlier this year – how are tech entrepreneurs helping to make a Grade 1 listed station fit for purpose for 21st Century passengers?  

We also meet Sir John Armitt, Chair of the UK’s National Infrastructure Commission, whose assessment of the UK’s national infrastructure hit the headlines in the autumn – how can innovation help to maximise infrastructure assets, and where are the opportunities for UK Plc?

Theme music on this episode is by Phill Ward Music (www.phillward.com) 

Innovating isn’t easy. It's risky, it's fraught with failure, and there’s no guarantees of success. In this episode we meet two companies that have had to navigate the innovation rollercoaster to get to where they are.

Both companies have been supported by the Connected Places Catapult at various points in their journey. They have each developed two ground-breaking products and collected some great stories to tell along the way.

Our in-house journalist, Mike Walter, spoke to Eugene Bari, the CEO and Managing Director of Ecomar Propulsion and Dr Victoria Kroll, CEO & co-founder of Esitu Solutions.

Ecomar Propulsion builds zero emission propulsion systems for the maritime industry, whilst Esitu Solutions is on a mission to improve road safety and reduce the number of driving accidents using virtual reality technology.

Theme music on this episode is by Phill Ward Music (www.phillward.com) 

Show notes:  

To learn more about the NIC and the upcoming Nation Infrastructure Assessment to be published on 18th October 2023, click here.  

To register for our inaugural Connected Places Summit, being held in London on 20-21 March 2024, click here.  

To find out more about what we do at the Connected Places Catapult and to hear about the latest news, events and announcements, visit cp.catapult.org.uk and do sign up to our newsletter!   

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Don’t forget to subscribe to the show on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Please also take a moment to write a review and rate us so that more people can hear about the podcast and what we do at Connected Places Catapult.   

There are 14 million people in the UK with some form of disability. 

For too many, using public transport can be a nightmare - whether it’s getting on and off a bus, or navigating the complex, stressful and often-confusing environment of a large transport interchange.   

Sadly, when it comes to accessibility, there’s some way to go before we can genuinely say that our public transport system really is open and accessible for all.

In this episode we take a look at what airports and airline operators are doing to make flying more accessible. How are new technologies making a difference? What do innovators need to be thinking about when developing solutions for people with disabilities? And what is the Catapult doing to support better collaboration and support for companies working in this space?

We meet Ann Frye, the UK Government's Disability and Access Ambassador for Aviation, Fredi Nonyelu, CEO and Founder of Briteyellow, Gavin Neate, CEO and Founder of WelcoMe, Yael Shomron, Marketing Manager at Step Hear, and Andrew Chadwick, the Catapult’s Interim Ecosystem Director for Airports & Aviation.

Theme music on this episode is by Phill Ward Music (www.phillward.com) 

We conclude our three-part podcast series on digital twins with a conversation with Ali Nicholl, Head of Engagement at IOTICS, a data company helping innovators to better collaborate on digital transformation.

Ali and his colleagues are passionate about this. They’re impatient too!

IOTICS are on a mission to empower those dedicated to making a meaningful impact on our world. They’re providing the tools to navigate the intricate landscape of data and information, enabling companies to unlock valuable insights and share data and information better. 

So in this episode we invited Ali into our studio to tell us about some of the organisations that IOTICS are working to create a greener and more sustainable future. Ali explains some of the complexities of data sharing between companies, and the importance of making sure digital twin technologies have the real-world impact when it comes to some of society’s greatest challenges. The voices in this episode are also featuring on The IOTICS Podcast, where Ali has interviewed a number of fascinating guests to showcase the growing significance of digital twins in shaping our connected future.

Featured in this episode are Elly Howe, Environmental and Sustainability Coordinator at Portsmouth International Port;  Louise Donaghey, Services Programmes Director at Rolls Royce; Simon Evans, Global Digital Twin Leader at Arup; Ian Gordon, Head of Data at Houses of Parliament Restoration & Renewal; and Rich Walker, a Data and Analytics Leader in the Government and Public sector.  

Connected Digital Twins Summit – 22 June, 2023 

The huge opportunity that digital twins offer place-based infrastructure is what guides the work of the Digital Twin Hub (which came out of the UK’s National Digital Twin Programme) housed at the Connected Places Catapult. It is a network that is helping to bring people together to learn from each other and collaborate on this hugely ambitious social, environment, and technical journey.   

Their work is also guided by the Gemini Principles which are shaping the development of an ecosystem of connected digital twins. And they also host the weekly Gemini Call which has become a staple date in the diary for practitioners across the UK.   

On 22 June 2023 the Digital Twin Hub and the Connected Places Catapult hosted the inaugural Connected Digital Twins Summit. IOTICS is an active supporter of the Hub and was a sponsor of the Summit.  

In this episode we meet National Grid ESO, the electricity system operator for Great Britain, and one of the sponsors of the Digital Twin Hub’s inaugural Connected Digital Twins Summit held this summer.

The UK Government has a target for National Grid ESO to be running a zero-carbon electricity system by 2035. This ambition is crucial in helping the UK meet its wider zero carbon targets.

For National Grid ESO, a major milestone in that journey is the development of a Virtual Energy System. This is a real-time, digital replica of Great Britain’s entire energy landscape which mirrors the physical system - a network of interconnected digital twins that can be shared by industry to improve ESO’s ability to simulate and forecast electricity supply and demand.

So how is digital twin technology helping to bring this bold vision to life? How is it being used to better understand and influence consumer behaviour, especially during a cost-of-living crisis? And is the tech always the biggest hurdle when it comes to digital transformation?

Featured in this episode are Carolina Tortora, National Grid ESO’s Head of Innovation Strategy & Digitalisation in conversation with Dr. Alison Vincent, Chair of the Digital Twin Hub, as well as Lucy Yu, CEO of Centre for Net Zero, and Symon Brown, Smart Grid Director at CGI.

Connected Digital Twins Summit – 22 June, 2023

The huge opportunity that digital twins offer place-based infrastructure is what guides the work of the Digital Twin Hub (which came out of the UK’s National Digital Twin Programme) housed at the Connected Places Catapult. It is a network that is helping to bring people together to learn from each other and collaborate on this hugely ambitious social, environment, and technical journey.

Their work is also guided by the Gemini Principles which are shaping the development of an ecosystem of connected digital twins. And they also host the weekly Gemini Call which has become a staple date in the diary for practitioners across the UK.

On 22 June 2023 the Digital Twin Hub and the Connected Places Catapult hosted the inaugural Connected Digital Twins Summit. National Grid ESO is an active supporter of the Hub and was a sponsor of the Summit.

Theme music on this episode is by Phill Ward Music (www.phillward.com)