Transmission Dynamics Advances Next-Generation Rail Technologies with FOAK 2025 Backing

Transmission Dynamics is driving the next wave of innovation in rail monitoring and safety, with two breakthrough projects set to transform overhead line resilience and tackle the persistent challenge of bridge strikes.

Building on their market leading Trains with Brains solutions, these new developments — IntelliPan Network and Bridge Strikes Guardian — represent the latest step in our mission to deliver smarter, AI-enabled solutions that enhance reliability, safety, and efficiency across the network.

Now in its eighth year, the FOAK programme is designed to accelerate innovation in the UK rail industry by supporting new technologies that can improve passenger experience, enhance safety, and increase operational efficiency. In 2025, £5 million was allocated across 26 winning projects.

Transmission Dynamics achieved success in two categories. In the AI for Complex Processes category, the company will develop their IntelliPan Network project, an AI-powered platform for protecting overhead line equipment (OLE). The project builds on the company’s award-winning PANDAS-V pantograph and OLE monitoring system, extending it into real-time fault detection, automated decision-making, and protective response. This integrated approach will give infrastructure teams the ability to react faster, reduce risk, and prevent disruption before it occurs.

In the Bridge Strikes category, Transmission Dynamics will deliver Bridge Strikes Guardian, a monitoring and integrity assessment system designed to tackle one of the most persistent and disruptive challenges facing the network. Unlike traditional approaches, Bridge Strikes Guardian requires no civil works, making it suitable for rapid, scalable deployment across both urban and remote bridges, whether road-over-rail or rail-over-road. By delivering continuous monitoring and reporting, the system will support safer operations and help reduce the cost and disruption caused by bridge strikes.

This double win continues Transmission Dynamics’ strong record of success in FOAK competitions. In 2022, the company secured funding for its Trains with Brains IIoT project, which integrated data from multiple train-borne monitoring systems into Network Rail’s planning processes. That system is now routinely deployed across passenger trains, providing one of the most advanced IIoT applications in global rail and enabling more effective, data-driven maintenance planning.

www.transmissiondynamics.com