Universal Signalling Ltd (USL) are an SME start-up developing the next generation of digital signalling, which we have named Universal Interlocking (UI). There are a multitude of benefits to our solution over incumbents, but important headlines are a projected cost less than 10% of UK ETCS deployments, and a deployment time measured in weeks, not decades. To achieve this, rather than concentrate on new technology, we have repurposed existing and proven railway technology to enable significant design and deployment process changes, which is where we believe the real savings lie. Simply put, unlike all other existing signalling systems, UI has the safety rules of the railway built into its basic logic, minimising the design, review, assurance and testing for each custom application - simplifying its implementation and eliminating huge re-signalling project costs. Additional benefits of UI include its tolerance of subsystem failures, its high-capacity, and its rapid reconfigurability, enabling flexibility to the ever-changing requirements of the modern passenger and freight railway. The architecture of UI has been under development by an award-winning group of UK Rail Engineers since 2018/2019\. USL was founded in 2022 to commercialise the IP. Whilst functional in a laboratory setting, this project represents the first UI deployment in a rail environment. We will demonstrate and evaluate both the infrastructure and train-borne elements of the system, proving that UI is capable of supervising train integrity, track occupation, vehicle speed, and more. In doing so we establish an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) demonstrator in short timeframe. We will evaluate the performance of the system in the GCRE environment, gaining results which will be used to validate our cost model and to underpin our safety and assurance activities. We will host several demonstration events for the wider industry to experience the system and provide feedback. After the project, our hardware will remain in place and later be extended through the whole site, allowing ongoing feature development under our own funding, according to end-user requirements. Our aspiration is that our system will support GCRE through construction and on-line testing activities by providing full ATO, worksite management and state-of-the-railway monitoring capabilities.

UI (Universal Interlocking) is a radical new approach to railway signalling and safety, based around the repeated application of simple, repeatable units in both software and hardware. Each unit is identical, with a set of simple properties and rules, and it's function assured once. When the units are linked sequentially, the effect is to replicate the functions of traditional megalithic route-based interlockings. UI can monitor train speed, position, and integrity, including as overlay, when other systems are fitted. It is robust and fault tolerant, through massive redundancy, and in areas of limited communications, only capacity is reduced, not safety. UWAP (Universal Worksite and Access Protection) takes UI further by allowing trackside staff to interact with the system to unambiguously set up possessions, access worksites, place instant speed restrictions, Emergency Stop all trains/work, and more. Though noting UI could have all the functionality of ETCS, our original development goal was fast deployment to isolated branches, Beeching reopening's and overseas, with a target CapEx and OpEx cost at 10% of competitors. We believe the direct benefits of UI to GCRE are threefold: 1. Due to the passive track-borne elements, UI can be fitted as an overlay to other systems without interference. This is key for GCRE as UI can be placed as overlay and fall-back system for when testing other signalling and control system integration. It can maintain an assured independent data of all trains and workforce if systems on test have issues. 2. Managing multiple site teams - potentially from many different countries and systems - will be a risk through build, commission and test - especially so on the infrastructure loop. UWAP can provide unambiguous protection, and it is easy to understand through it's human-centric design philosophy. 3. With an independent and assured vehicle information feed, UI and UWAP could form the basis of a system independent of onboard signalling required for later automated train testing work, though there would be some train integration work required for full remote ATO. Establishing the 'why' and 'how' of these points are the main elements of the study. The algorithms have been demonstrated Hardware-In-The-Loop in a lab, and key hardware elements are already rail-proven. There is low technical risk. Early engagement and integration will help yield full benefits, and this study is key to that.