Explore a selection of our recent ventures, including their current stage and FTS involvement.
Bridge Foundation Assessment Dashboard
Stage reached
Concept Developed. Fully funded development programme underway
FTS involvement
Venture origination, consortium leadership, systems
Status
Live venture
A decision-support platform using an unmanned survey vessel and non-intrusive survey technology to help engineers assess the foundations of railway bridges over water.
Future Travel Studio developed the concept to address one of rail infrastructure's most persistent challenges: assessing bridge foundation condition without costly and disruptive intrusive investigations. The solution uses an unmanned surface vessel fitted with hydrographic and geophysical survey equipment, combined with a decision-support dashboard that transforms complex survey data into practical engineering evidence for asset managers.
The concept was developed in partnership with the University of Birmingham and specialist geospatial consultancy Jennings & Cooke, combining railway engineering, hydrographic surveying, and digital decision-support into a collaborative innovation proposal. FTS successfully secured over £200,000 in innovation grant funding to develop and demonstrate the technology on operational railway infrastructure.
DreamSuite
Stage reached
TRL6 demonstrator completed through Innovate UK funding.
FTS involvement
Venture origination, product design, engineering, and demonstrator development.
Status
Currently developing a daytime derivative concept for a European intercity operator.
Our first Internal Track venture was a retrofittable flat-bed rail seat designed to make overnight rail travel more affordable, accessible and commercially viable.
Future Travel Studio created DreamSuite to address one of rail's biggest barriers to growth: the high cost and scarce availability of conventional sleeper trains. Rather than requiring costly, bespoke rolling stock, DreamSuite enables existing passenger vehicles to be retrofitted with modular lie-flat seating, creating a new mid-market travel experience between standard seats and private cabins.
The concept secured over £270,000 through Innovate UK's First of a Kind competition, enabling the design, engineering and construction of a full-scale demonstrator. Since launch, DreamSuite has been shortlisted as a finalist for Concept of the Year at the 2024 RedCabin Rail Interior Awards and has received strong validation from industry leaders including Alstom, Caledonian Sleeper, Talgo, VIA Rail Canada and several European sleeper train operators.
GoWELL+
Stage reached
Funded concept development.
FTS involvement
User research and proposition design.
Status
Mayor’s Resilience Fund finalist, grant recipient and accelerator participant.
A suite of journey-planning tools designed to help passengers make more confident public transport choices.
GoWELL+ was developed in 2021 by Richard and Nik as an entry to the Mayor of London's Resilience Fund before FTS was formally established.
The concept responded to reduced confidence in public transport following COVID-19, particularly among passengers experiencing travel anxiety, health vulnerabilities or additional mobility needs. GoWELL+ proposed a family of APIs and widgets that could be integrated into existing journey-planning apps, giving passengers clearer information on crowding, safety measures, disruption and alternative travel options.
The project was selected as a finalist, securing a five-figure innovation grant and a place on the Mayor's Resilience Fund accelerator programme.
TravelSpace
Stage reached
Working MVP.
FTS involvement
Problem definition, proposition design and product development.
Status
Commercial rights assigned to software developer.
A demand-management platform designed to rebuild passenger confidence in rail following COVID-19.
TravelSpace was developed in 2021 by the founders of Future Travel Studio, in partnership with Tractic Ltd, before FTS was formally established.
The platform responded to two connected challenges: passengers needed greater confidence and control when returning to public transport, while operators needed new ways to anticipate demand and manage crowding.
TravelSpace combined real-time passenger-demand information with an overlay booking system, helping customers understand how busy services were likely to be and make informed journey choices. For operators, the platform provided the ability to introduce capacity quotas and adapt availability as distancing requirements changed.
The project progressed from an urgent industry problem to a developed proposition and working MVP. Commercial rights were subsequently assigned to the software development partner responsible for building the MVP.
