Universal Signalling, working with colleagues from Network Rail and Transport for Wales, has successfully completed the trial fitment and evaluation of its U-Cross User-Worked Crossing protection system on the Heart of Wales line.

Network Rail’s trial of Universal Signalling’s ‘U-Cross’ system marks a significant step forward in delivering next-generation, safer signalling to rural railway lines across Britain.

Developed by Universal Signalling and first demonstrated at the Global Centre for Rail Excellence in Onllwyn, South Wales, in 2024, the technology has already been recognised as a potential game-changer for the rail industry.

The system provides signallers with real-time information on the precise location of trains, enabling quicker, safer decision-making at user-worked level crossings - used daily by farmers, landowners and rural communities.

The challenge

User-worked crossings are common on rural lines and require users to contact the signaller by telephone before crossing. While current processes are safe, signallers often rely on train-location information drawn from several different sources, which can result in delays for people waiting to cross.

‘U-Cross’ addresses this challenge by delivering real-time, enhanced situational awareness directly to the signaller - including exactly how many minutes are available to cross safely before the next train arrives - enabling faster, safer decision-making.

Solutions of this kind traditionally take years to develop and can be costly, but the combined efforts of Universal Signalling, Network Rail Wales & Borders and Transport for Wales - co-funded by the Innovation Acceleration Forum - enabled this trial to be delivered quickly and effectively.

How the UK-first mainline trial worked

The two-week trial (3 - 14 November) took place on an 11-mile section of the Heart of Wales line between Llandeilo and Llandovery, covering 20 user-worked crossings. As part of the trial:

• The track was fitted with U-Beacon Universal Locator Beacons, visible as green discs attached to the sleepers through Llandovery Station.

• In-service Transport for Wales trains were fitted with readers and communications equipment.

• Trains automatically transmitted their position to the signaller when approaching or clearing a crossing.

• The systems in-built health and performance monitoring capability collected more than 400,000 data points for the team to analyse.

Thanks to the system’s rapid installation capability, the entire 11-mile stretch was fitted in just two and a half overnight line blocks, with no prior line side design work required - demonstrating the substantial efficiency and cost benefits for future signalling renewals and upgrades, as well as the advanced safety protection for level crossing users.

The next phase will look to extend the technology across the full 96-mile Heart of Wales line, which has 126 crossings, before exploring opportunities on other rural rail routes across the UK.

Anthony Aldred, Operations Manager, Network Rail Wales and Borders said, “Managing access to the railway at user-worked crossings is a key part of keeping our network safe for the people and communities who rely on it. In rural areas, where signallers rely on information from multiple sources, U-Cross gives them a clear, instant view of train locations and visual confirmation of whether a crossing is safe to use, while defaulting to established procedures if a fault is detected.

“This product has real potential to further strengthen safety and reduce delays for users and it has been incredibly valuable to support this project.

“We’re proud to be part of this UK-first trial as we work with Universal Signalling and our industry partners to explore how it could benefit more locations across the network.”

Stephen Head, Chief Executive Officer at Universal Signalling said, “U-Cross is the first stepping stone towards our vision for next-generation digital signalling that’s affordable for rural lines. What truly sets this apart is the speed of deployment, which drives down cost to the railway.

“We’ve automated and productionised as much of the process as possible, stripping out much of the cost base. Fitting 11 miles of track in just two and a half overnight possessions, with no prior design work, shows what’s possible with our system.

“It has been a delight working with the Wales & Borders teams, and the support from Transport for Wales has been fantastic. Feedback from this trial and analysis of the data collected will inform refinements ahead of the next phase.”

Network Rail is proactively adopting innovative technologies to enhance the passenger experience, strengthen safety and deliver smarter, more cost-effective ways of running the railway.

The full press release and associated media is available from Network Rail at this link.

25 November 2025:

Universal Signalling's Dr Sam Bemment has been interviewed for the November edition of Rail Director Magazine, which is a spotlight on signalling special edition.  

Rail Director is a high-end, industry-leading, printed magazine that is delivered directly to rail influencers, key decision-makers and government officials. Covering the latest national and international news, along with the views of industry leaders, it is read by up to 15,000 sector professionals online every month.

The magazine can be accessed online at this link.

04 November 2025:

Following an investment in Universal Signalling earlier in the year, Olivier Garrigue is to join the board as a non-executive director. 

Olivier is a senior executive with over 30 years of international management and leadership experience across a number of industry sectors. He has a particular focus and interest on growth and development, having operated as a hands on senior manager with extensive functional experience including M&A, Strategy, Finance & Financing, Restructuring, Marketing, Operations Management and Complex Project Management and Delivery.

Olivier has a track record of successful transaction completion and delivery of small and large-scale change projects across a wide spectrum of companies, ranging from start ups to large multinational corporations. He will be a familiar face to those in Rail, having served as the Chairman & CEO of XEIAD - a group of civil engineering consultants specialising in difficult access inspections - for over a decade. The whole team extend a warm welcome to Olivier and we look forward to working closely with him. 

Further, Stephen Head, former Chief Operating Officer, will move to become the company's new Chief Executive Officer from November 2025. Dr Sam Bemment,  who has led the company since founding it in 2022, is moving to become the company's new Chief Innovation Officer (CIO). This is a long-planned move to place Sam and Stephen where their strengths can best serve the company. Sam will remain the 'ideas engine': leading a meaningful R,D&I programme, tailored to client pain points, the output of which the wider tech team can translate into products and services. Stephen, with an executive MBA, will liaise with our newly-formed board, ensuring best value for our investors, and managing the emerging corporate and financial compliance requirements.

28 August 2025:

Universal Signalling is proud to announce the successful close of the second tranche of its pre-seed investment round, with the round now fully subscribed. This marks a significant milestone in the company’s early-stage growth, showing strong investor confidence in its mission to revolutionise digital signalling, and the team assembled to enable it.

The second tranche close was anchored by the Southern Angel Investors Club (SAIC), a respected network of early-stage investors known for backing high-potential technology ventures across the UK, alongside several high net-worth individuals with extensive experience in the UK and overseas rail industry.

“We’re thrilled to have Southern Angels anchor this tranche and to see the full allotment taken up so quickly,” said Sam Bemment, Founder and CEO of Universal Signalling. “This is a strong vote of confidence in our vision and the team’s ability to execute on our business plan. The funds raised will enable us to execute that plan: concurrently accelerating our R&D efforts around future product lines, whilst continuing to move early systems to market with our key light and heavy rail partners. When compared with some other industries, it is rare that this type of investment comes into rail, and even rarer for it to be into a company which is operating in the safety and operationally critical space. I would therefore like to add my thanks to our new partners for this vote of confidence in our team.”

The second tranche follows a successful first close earlier this year, which saw participation from a mix of angel investors and early-stage venture funds. With the full pre-seed round now completed, Universal Signalling is well-positioned to expand its technical team and prepare for commercial deployments with early adopters.

“We were impressed by Universal Signalling’s technical depth and the clarity of their vision,” said Philip Day of SAIC. “Their refreshing approach to solving fundamental market challenges is both ambitious and timely, and we’re excited to support their journey from concept to commercialisation.”

The company will soon be onboarding new engineering talent and is already in discussions with several industry players for collaborative development and testing. A seed round is anticipated mid-late 2026, with interest already building among institutional investors.

11 August 2025:

Universal Signalling have today passed an audit by the owners of the 'Made In Britain' logo, opposite.

The audit examined both Universal Signalling's production and value chains, with a threshold of 80% British content required to entitle the use of the 'Made in Britain' logo and branding on packaging and marketing material. 

Having spent significant effort seeking out British companies in order to establish a reliable and quality assured on-shore supply chain for the first British installations of our technology, the Universal Signalling team were delighted to exceed the minimum threshold by a significant amount. 

05 July 2025:

Universal Signalling Ltd, a UK-based scale-up radically reducing the deployment time and cost of railway digital signalling products, has established a supply agreement with Technology Solutions UK Ltd (TSL), a division of HID, a global leader in trusted identity and access control solutions.

TSL® is a leading manufacturer of high-performance mobile RFID readers, used to identify and track products, assets, data or personnel. For over two decades, TSL® has delivered innovative data capture solutions to major companies all around the world using a global network of distributors and system integrators. Specialist in-house teams design all aspects of the finished products and software ecosystems, including electronics, firmware, application development tools and RF design. This agreement will see TSL’s cutting-edge, high performance and energy efficient UHF RAIN RFID reader modules fully integrated into USL’s technology stack.

Mark Beeson, Product Director at Universal Signalling, commented: “Our company ethos is to use Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) hardware wherever possible, keeping deployment costs low for the client, accelerating time-to-market, and enabling us to lean on the relevant expertise and experience in the wider supply chain rather than reinventing the wheel. 

“We have been working closely with TSL since Q3 2024. They have been extremely helpful, supporting us to establish the performance parameters of our architecture in the harsh rail environment, and helping us to integrate their modules into our end products. The performance of our technology stack, including TSL components, has now been verified in the field, and as a result we are excited to formally commit to making these excellent products part of our own going forwards.”

Bertrand Saillet, VP Hardware Engineering & TSL Product Segment at HID Global, added: “The Universal Signalling team first visited us at the TSL factory in 2024. That meeting helped us to understand the novel architectural proposition, high performance requirements, and harsh conditions on the railway, particularly with regard to EMC. Since then we have enjoyed being able to support the Universal Signalling team through their development and testing activities, so it is very exciting for them to now confirm our products will be integrated into all future system deployments. This is our first product application in railway signalling, and we look forward to a long and productive relationship.”

The full technology stack, including TSL modules, will be deployed in Universal Signalling’s first heavy-rail trial upon Network Rail infrastructure, which is now provisionally scheduled for Q3 2025 in South Wales.

About HID

HID powers the trusted identities of the world’s people, places and things. We make it possible for people to transact safely, work productively and travel freely. Our trusted identity solutions give people convenient access to physical and digital places and connect things that can be identified, verified and tracked digitally. Millions of people around the world use HID’s products and services to navigate their everyday lives, and billions of things are connected through HID’s technology. We work with governments, educational institutions, hospitals, financial institutions, industrial businesses and some of the most innovative companies on the planet. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID has over 4,500 employees worldwide and operates international offices that support more than 100 countries. HID is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand. For more information, visit www.hidglobal.com. 

30 June 2025:

Universal Signalling is pleased to announce the addition of two new interns, Dominic Hawes and Alexander Chan, to its growing team. The internships reflect the company’s desire to give back to the industry by providing an opportunity for those seeking a career in rail to experience life at a cutting-edge, innovative SME.  

“We’re delighted to welcome Dom and Alex to the team,” said Dr. Nick Wright, CTO of Universal Signalling. “Their fresh perspectives, enthusiasm, and diverse skill sets will be invaluable as we continue to grow our capabilities and deliver on our vision for the future of railway signalling. Taking on two interns is a large commitment for a growing SME such as ours, but all the staff here agree it is important to help nurture and develop the next generation of engineering talent.”

Dominic is an Engineering Design (MEng) student at the University of Bristol with growing experience in railway signalling. Through summer placements and a year in industry in engineering consultancy, he has gained experience across railway operations, rolling stock and railway signalling. While he has strived to gain a broad grounding in railway engineering, he has started to develop specific expertise in the design, assurance, and implementation of digital signalling. Dominic has also achieved an Advanced Diploma in Railway Control Engineering from the Institution of Railway Signal Engineers.

Alexander is a second year Electrical and Railway Engineering student studying at the University of Birmingham. He will be bringing his enthusiasm to the Universal Signalling team, developing his industrial experience of software development, electronics, and research in a safety critical railway environment. Outside of his studies, Alex enjoys mentoring secondary school pupils and volunteering as a train steward on mainline rail tours.

Dominic and Alexander will experience a mix of day-to-day activities of the team, as well as completing individual projects steered by the more experienced universal signalling engineers, which are vital to the timely success of USL’s market entry. 

Founded in 2022, Universal Signalling is on a mission to reduce the deployment time and cost of digital signalling through a unique blend of technology, operating model, and open interface specification. Earlier in 2025, the company’s team delivered their first commercial light-rail installation, with a heavy-rail trial to follow later in the year.

The internship programme is part of Universal Signalling’s broader commitment to developing the next generation of railway engineers and innovators. Dom and Alex will be working closely with the engineering and operations teams on live projects, gaining hands-on experience in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment, as well as being given challenging individual projects to complete. 

19 May 2025:

Representatives from Network Rail, including Western, Wales & Borders, and the Innovation Acceleration Forum, announced today that funding for a mainline trial of Universal Signalling technology had been agreed after a demonstration visit to BCIMO in Dudley. The visitors saw Universal Signalling's unique hardware and software in action at the test track, including driving the Bance battery vehicle fitted with prototype US onboard.

The trial is supported by Network Rail's Innovation Acceleration Forum (IAF). Susan Millington, Network Rail's Head of Programme Management, and chair of the forum, commented on LinkedIn: 

"I had an amazing day yesterday with Sam Bemment and Stephen Head of Universal Signalling where they demonstrated their new innovative signalling solutions for rural lines which will significantly enhance level crossing safety as well as provide enhanced traffic detection - all at a very affordable price(...) The Innovation Acceleration Forum I chair has agreed to support a trial to see the potential of these new products and how they will potentially serve a new era for railway signalling in the future."

The trial will be sponsored by Nick Millington MBE FREng, Wales and Borders Route Director, who added that he was pleased to be championing trials of new technology in the route. Signalling support will be provided by Joshua Robinson, Route Engineer (Signalling), who also commented on LinkedIn:

"Great visit to BCIMO in Dudley today to see Universal Signalling in action. It was impressive to see the system deployed in a live environment, offering a glimpse into how we can deliver safe, temporary signalling control without the need for traditional infrastructure. The potential applications are exciting – especially when considering the safety and time savings Universal Signalling could offer. Thanks to the team for the detailed demo and insightful conversations around integration, assurance, and future use cases. This kind of innovation could play a big role in how we approach flexibility and safety on the railway. Looking forward to seeing how it develops."

Full details of the trial scope, location and dates will be announced in due course.