Alternative technologies to platform edge doors (PEDs)

Connected Places Catapult is working with the Department for Transport (DfT) to explore innovative technical solutions to provide safety for passengers at the platform train interface in a driverless environment and in the absence of platform edge doors (PEDs).

We are considering the business case of whether these solutions can be implemented to provide a more affordable alternative to Platform Edge Doors (PEDs) while maintaining current safety and performance levels across the network.

Transport for London (TfL) conducted market engagement on this topic in 2021 and continues to be engaged in this workstream. Any previous participation from your organisation is appreciated and we welcome your continued support. New respondents are also welcomed. Over the coming year, this programme is progressing to the procurement of pilot solution development and demonstrations to assess their feasibility, and to assess the current state of market readiness and maturity.

The purpose of this PIN is to notify the market of our upcoming competitive procurement of demonstrations and improve our understanding of market/supplier appetite and capability to deliver the proposed demonstration and development activities. We want to understand the market’s perception of risks and opportunities to deliver within our expected timescales.

Solutions should control the risks that are currently controlled by the train operator, to support driverless or unattended train operations. This may include the following safety functions:

a. Supervise the guideway: including prevention of collisions with objects or persons in the guideway clearance*. This could be achieved through detection or prevention of people/objects on the track or beyond safe clearance of the platform edge.

b. Supervise passenger transfer: including prevention of injuries to persons between platform and train such as prevention or mitigation of harm from falling down the gap, or harm caused by contact with the train.

c. Ensure safe starting conditions: including prevention of accidents on train movement out of the platform such as prevention of harm due to dragging of persons or objects trapped in the doors.

We intend to award up to a total of £1.2million to between 2 and 5 suppliers to deliver demonstrations of some or all of the functionality of their solutions from December 2022 to March 2023. The demonstrations will take place in a testing environment which is representative of London Underground.

Connected Places Catapult will be holding virtual drop-in sessions on Tuesday 27 September and Wednesday 28 September where we will answer any initial questions. You can find out more information, and register at link:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/platform-edge-tech… ↗

Please view and respond to the Market Sounding Questionnaire procontract.due-north.com/Advert ↗

Responses must be submitted at the latest by 12 October 2022 by 12:00 hrs through the email facility in the Procurement Portal at link above.

*"Guideway clearance" - pre-defined space around the track defined relatively to the track and such that trains in motion cannot, while under operating conditions, come into contact with persons or property fully outside this space.