The TransiT Hub, a collaboration of eight universities and 67 partners jointly led by Heriot-Watt University and Glasgow University, has secured £20m in funding from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Another £26m is being provided by stakeholders across the digital, energy and transport sectors, including transport operators, regulators, vehicle makers, technology companies and energy suppliers. The collaboration is thought to be one of the largest transport consortiums of its kind.
The eight universities in the TransiT hub are each centres of expertise in core project areas, including: Heriot-Watt, focused on logistics and freight; Glasgow University, digital twinning and cyber physical systems; Leeds University, transport decarbonisation policy development; Birmingham University, rail research; Cranfield University, aviation; UCL, maritime research; Cambridge University, road freight; and Durham university, focused on the engineering of public transport.
With the combined expertise of all these institutions, TransiT aims to identify the lowest cost, least risky and most energy-efficient way to decarbonise transport by developing a digital twinning approach.
Digital twins are created using data collected from sensors connected to real-world infrastructure in real time. Digital twins can rapidly analyse real-world data to test and improve different scenarios, by sending back its solution almost instantly for an improved process to the physical world.
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.
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Data used to build the digital twins will include transport operations data from TransiT’s industry partners, such as number and type of vehicles, fuel types, load sizes, length and frequency of routes and links to other transport modes, such as ports and road networks. Transport users will also contribute to citizen research to help scientists model human travel behaviour and travel choices.
The TransiT team said that transport users, including passengers and commuters, could benefit from its research to identify and help them make decisions about the most sustainable travel choices on a local, regional and national level. For example, passengers could benefit from a ‘personalised digital twin assistant.’
“This is similar to how your Netflix or Amazon account learns your preferences, and will build an understanding of your mobility needs, journey requirements and personal preferences,” David Flynn, a Professor in Cyber Physical Systems at Glasgow University and joint Director of TransiT, said in a statement.
“The digital twin assistant will then offer near to real-time journey options that are end-to-end and that best fit your needs. It could update your best journey options based on your individual needs and budget, as well as the reliability of transport services, and how the impact of weather might change these.”
EPSRC’s £20m investment is its largest to date in digital twinning of the UK’s transport system and follows an initial six-month consultation and call for partners to explore the potential of digital twinning to decarbonise, with the support of industry, policymakers and other stakeholders.
In addition to the EPSRC and industry support, TransiT’s partner universities will fund the recruitment of 18 research students with PhDs.
A full list of the project’s university and industry partners can be accessed here.
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