Institute for High Speed Rail and System Integration

The Institute for High Speed Rail and System Integration (IHSRSI) will be one of the world’s most advanced rail research and innovation facilities.

It will be the UK's first research centre dedicated not only to high speed rail, but to all rail speeds and associated system integration. 

The test facilities and System Integration Innovation Centre will allow us to replicate at full-scale the operational environment of the railway track and associated vehicles – measuring how train, track, power and signals interact as a unified system.

Working in partnership with the rail industry, we’ll tackle the grand challenges facing the sector. Our research will de-risk the development and delivery of new train vehicles and major infrastructure programmes and train the next generation of scientists and engineers through our study programmes.

This new testing facility will be one of the most advanced in the world and will revolutionise the UK’s approach to high speed rail system design and implementation. Not only will it reduce the number of issues we see on the operational railway, it will help to bring economic growth and jobs to the area for many years to come.

The Institute received investment from Research England and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (delivered by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority). Funding for the Institute has also come from industry partners and the University.