LONDON: Cordel Group PLC, an artificial intelligence platform specializing in transport corridor analytics, has been awarded a £3 million contract by Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd to provide point cloud data processing for structure gauging outputs at scale across Britain’s rail network.
The contract runs through December 2027, with an optional extension to December 2028 valued at an additional £1.34 million.
Network Rail, which owns and manages 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts, along with thousands of signals, level crossings and stations across England, Scotland and Wales, will use Cordel’s technology to process raw LiDAR data collected from hardware installed on infrastructure monitoring units.
The work is designed to produce compliant gauging outputs required under Network Rail Standard NR/L2/TRK/3204. The scope includes establishing processing workflows, updating the National Gauging Database, configuring the track intervals module, and delivering validated SC0, SCP and SCX files to help restore national gauging compliance.
The procurement allows for a rapid, fully integrated data-processing capability aimed at addressing significant backlogs, reducing operational and safety risks, and ensuring accurate gauging information for safe train-infrastructure interaction.
On June 11, 2024, Cordel announced it had received formal Network Rail certification for all three gauging clearance file types — for structures, station platforms and track intervals.
Cordel CEO John Davis said the contract builds on the company’s long-term investment in Network Rail structure gauging approvals that began in 2020 with an Innovate UK competition award.
“We are delighted to be selected to deliver a bulk data refresh into the National Gauging Dataset, which we already store and manage for Network Rail,” Davis said. “This new contract is a significant deployment of our end-to-end AI technology pipeline. We will enable Network Rail to address their legacy backlog and to manage risks, with up-to-date, accurate information so train-infrastructure clearances can be optimized.”
In a trading update, Cordel Chairman Ian Buddery said recent momentum in winning contracts and delivering for clients has boosted revenue.
“We now expect our revenue for the 10 months to end April, to be more than 10% ahead of the equivalent period in FY25,” Buddery said. “Furthermore, we remain confident of delivering a full year FY26 result in line with Board expectations.”
Cordel is traded on London’s AIM market under the ticker CRDL.