A new national hub focused on rapidly decarbonising transport in the UK – including road, rail, air and maritime – has secured £46m from the UK government and almost 70 partners.
The TransiT Hub intends to pioneer the use of digital twin technology in the transport sector to achieve its aims and deliver more environmentally sustainable systems.
Led by Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, and the University of Glasgow, the venture marks a collaboration of eight universities and 67 partners. As such, it is thought ot be one of the largest transport consortiums of its kind.
The hub has secured £20m in funding from the UKRI Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). A further £26m in support is being provides by stakeholders across the digital, energy, and transport sectors. They include transport operators, regulators, vehicle makers, technology firms, and energy suppliers, as well as civil engineering businesses.
Professor Phil Greening is a logistics expert at Heriot-Watt, and joint director of TransiT. He said: “Transport accounts for about a third of UK carbon emissions and, with global temperatures rapidly rising, we have run out of time to carry out real-world transport trials and learn from them.
“So, if the UK is to meet its carbon reduction commitments, we have to do our experiments digitally. We need to design the future transport system and optimise the transition to it.
“Digital twins will help us see the where, what and how to decarbonise transport. We start by building individual models of real-world transport systems. These can then be connected together and linked to the real world to give a bigger picture of what our future decarbonised transport system might look like – and the lowest cost way of getting there.”
David Flynn, professor in cyber physical systems at the University of Glasgow, and also a joint director of TransiT, added: “We will explore how digital twinning can improve the design of future transport solutions, to ensure services are accessible to all.
“It’s challenging for designers and engineers today to appreciate the perspective of citizens with mobility challenges and what they experience throughout the full journey. If we can create and embed new design principles, we can identify equitable pathways to decarbonisation.”
TransiT aims to identify the lowest cost, least risky and most energy-efficient way to decarbonise transport by developing the digital twinning approach.
Twin approach
Digital twins are digital replicas of the physical world. They are created using data collected from the physical world in real time. This data is collected by sensors connected to real-world infrastructure – for example, motorway, railway, shipping or flight monitoring systems.
The digital twin rapidly analyses the real-world data to test and improve different scenarios. The digital twin then sends back its solution for an improved process to the physical world. This exchange happens almost instantly – in close to real time.
A practical example might be a digital twin automatically updating digital road signs with information on the shortest route out of a traffic jam, based on real-time traffic data in that location.
The TransiT team expect their testing to include elements of a future decarbonised UK transport system that don’t yet exist – for example, electric road systems and alternative fuels.
The digital twin can help experts in the physical world understand where and how best to deploy these future systems by analysing a range of data. This could include information on what transport services communities and industry are forecast to need and where they can be simulated and tested in the virtual world in advance of real-world deployment.
Digital twinning allows different transport configurations to be tested and developed much faster than real-world engineering projects, until the lowest cost pathway to net-zero carbon emissions is identified.
Government policymakers could also benefit from TransiT by being able to see what intended and unintended consequences, across a broad timespan, could result from their policy decisions across a range of future scenarios.
Transport Minister Mike Kane said: “Digital twinning is a powerful technology that can help us integrate transport networks, improve efficiency and deliver greener transport for all.
“The launch of TransiT is an important step which will bring together academia, industry and government to research and realise the benefits of this technology for the transport sector. This is an excellent example of the work being done across government to deliver true innovation.”
Feryal Clark, minister for AI and digital government, added: “We see a technology future for British people which enriches and improves their lives. The research TransiT will now carry out is a prime example of how we’re supporting cutting-edge innovations to make that vision a reality.
“On top of saving the public time and money on the journeys they take day-to-day, this project will also harness the power of transformative digital technologies to cut carbon emissions – demonstrating the incredible impact technology can have in improving our public services, tackling climate change, and beyond.”
Read next: Investment firm diversifies portfolio with Swedish wind farm
Are you a building professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.