The UK's University of Huddersfield has unveiled a new railway test rig and also launched the Centre for Innovation in Rail (CIR) to fast-track innovations in industry technology.

The university is home to the Institute of Railway Research (IRR), which has received £4.5m from the Regional Growth Fund.

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Opened by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), the 150t test rig enables various experiments to be conducted on a full-size railway bogie.

It will also enable in-depth investigation of many issues surrounding the contact area between wheel and rail.

Installation of the rig required 95 piles to be sunk 5m deep, as well as a system of air springs to prevent excessive vibration.

IMechE Railway Division chairman Richard East said: “This huge amount of growth is starting to challenge the capacity and the resilience that we have.”

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"This huge amount of growth is starting to challenge the capacity and the resilience that we have."

The university’s new CIR unit will help the railway supply chain develop new products and is an outlet for research activity within the IRR. 

CIR aims to work with industry, especially small to medium sized firms. 

Unipart Rail engineering director Dr Steve Ingleton said that the new IRR test rig would serve as a focal point for innovation and help accelerate new products to market.

Omnicom Balfour Beatty technical services head Stirling Kimkeran said that he would encourage companies big and small to engage with the new centre.

Image: The new 150t test rig enables various experiments to be conducted on a full-size railway bogie. Photo: courtesy of University of Huddersfield.