The Railways Bill is a pivotal moment for digital solutions in UK rail

Zelra welcomes the passing of the Railways Bill as a pivotal moment for the UK rail sector. This legislation establishes a renewed commitment to performance, freight growth, decarbonisation, and long-term strategic planning through the creation of Great British Railways.

The Bill recognises that achieving these ambitions will depend on smarter collaboration, stronger safety governance, and the intelligent application of technology. Zelra sees a clear opportunity for digital solutions, including our Driving Advice Systems (DAS) and real-time performance analytics, to make a meaningful contribution to these goals.

Zelra’s solutions can help operators improve reliability, optimise network capacity, reduce emissions, and support national freight targets. We recognise the importance of connected digital ecosystems enabling cooperation across operators, regulators, and infrastructure.

DAS and driver decision support

As the national rail strategy takes shape, Zelra is already working with the industry to ensure software solutions contribute to a safer, sustainable, and efficient railway for the UK.

Beyond structural reform, the Bill recognises that technology will be central to the railway’s planning, operation, and management. For Zelra, this new legislative landscape represents both validation and opportunity.

For more than a decade, Zelra has championed the use of in-cab systems that improve drivers’ situational awareness and operational outcomes. While much of the market still thinks in terms of advice, Zelra speaks the language of decision support for drivers – a subtle but vital distinction.

Beyond advice – driver technology evolves

The demands of a modern railway mean TOCs must go beyond providing static driving advice by responding to live conditions, including:

• Temporary speed restrictions
• Timetable updates
• Late departures
• Conflicting train paths
• Infrastructure works
• Changing weather conditions.

They must also balance energy efficiency with punctuality, safety, and network capacity while integrating data across multiple systems.

This environment requires a DAS solution that offers driver decision support. This new generation of digital capability blends advisory functions with dynamic, data-driven decision intelligence.

Driver decision support is a continuous process of capturing, interpreting, and translating operational data into actionable, contextualised guidance. It supports both the driver and the network.

In parallel, the data captured through DAS enables continuous improvement by informing training programmes, driver licensing frameworks, and performance analysis in a constructive, safety-led manner.

The power of connected data

Data integration is a key enabler of the Railways Bill’s objectives. The UK’s future railway will depend on open, interoperable systems capable of translating information across organisational boundaries.

Zelra’s DAS platform is designed as a secure, cloud-based environment which provides exactly that capability.

In France, where ETCS is being rolled out nationwide, our DAS system is fully integrated into SNCF’s tablet-based driver solutions where multiple applications, including DAS and signalling systems, operate seamlessly together. DAS has also been integrated into existing Traffic Management Systems (TMS) by manufacturers including Alstom, Hitachi, and Stadler.

Zelra’s DAS helps drivers optimise train performance and energy savings, while ETCS enforces safety-critical limits. Together, they deliver improved performance and safety compliance, with additional value created by TMS integration.

Realising the Bill’s vision

The Railways Bill creates a framework for progress, but the pace and depth of that progress will be determined by technology. As our industry builds its long-term strategy, the question is not whether digital systems can transform operations, but rather how soon can they be implemented to maximise their long-term impact.

Zelra’s vision for driver decision support through DAS aligns perfectly with this challenge. By blending data, analytics, and human expertise, our system provides the operational intelligence required to meet national objectives for performance, freight growth, and decarbonisation.

Our team is ready to continue this conversation and explore new ways forward for UK rail, so get in touch with us today to find out more.