World-first rail safety technology approved for iconic Welsh railway

Mark Mansfield

Funding has been approved to roll out what is being described as a world-first railway safety system across an entire rural rail route in Wales after a successful trial.

The technology will be installed along the 96-mile Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury, with Network Rail saying it could improve safety at level crossings while reducing waiting times for farmers and other users.

The new digital signalling system, known as U-Cross, uses track-mounted beacons to communicate with equipment fitted to trains, allowing signallers to monitor train movements in real time to within 20 metres.

Developed by Universal Signalling Ltd and trialled by Network Rail and Transport for Wales, the technology is intended as a lower-cost alternative to traditional signalling systems, which can be prohibitively expensive to install on rural routes.

The Heart of Wales line includes 126 user-worked level crossings, where conventional signalling infrastructure is often difficult to provide because of limited power supplies.

Network Rail said the more accurate train location data would improve safety while helping reduce the time level crossing users have to wait for trains to pass.

The funding follows a UK-first trial on an 11-mile stretch of the line between Llandeilo and Llandovery, where engineers demonstrated that trains could reliably communicate with the system while travelling at line speed.

According to Network Rail, the technology also continued to operate successfully during periods of severe weather, including storms and flooding experienced in Wales during 2025 and 2026.

Permanent infrastructure will now be installed along the route and in the controlling signal box, with work expected to begin in December. An operational start date has yet to be announced.

Joshua Robinson, Route Engineer (Signalling) for Network Rail Wales and Borders, said: “The benefits of this technology are potentially transformational. We can deliver highly accurate train location information at a much lower cost than traditional signalling solutions, while also providing valuable safety and efficiency improvements for those who use rural level crossings every day.

“We’ve demonstrated that the technology can reliably determine a train’s location at line speed, even during some of the most challenging weather conditions we’ve experienced in recent years. That’s a significant achievement and gives us confidence as we move towards operational deployment.”

‘Tangible improvements’

Stephen Head, chief executive of Universal Signalling Ltd, said rolling the system out across the Heart of Wales line would deliver “tangible improvements” for local communities by reducing waiting times while maintaining safety standards.

Transport for Wales Head of Performance Adam Terry said the expansion marked “a fantastic milestone”, adding that the technology would make rural rail travel “safer, smarter and more efficient”.

The project is funded through Network Rail’s national Research and Development programme as part of wider efforts to develop lower-cost technologies to improve safety and reliability on Britain’s railways.

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