Accelerating Railway Signalling with QNX

Universal Signalling and QNX: A New Era for Railway Signalling

Universal Signalling, a UK-based railway technology startup founded in 2022, is transforming how signalling systems are designed and deployed through a software-defined approach powered by the QNX real-time operating system.

The new solution dramatically reduces installation time, cost, and infrastructure complexity while maintaining the highest safety standards required for rail operations.

One-Day Installation Instead of Multi-Year Projects

Traditional railway signalling upgrades often take years and require extensive infrastructure work. Universal Signalling’s train-mounted system shifts much of the intelligence onboard the vehicle, avoiding major trackside construction.

This approach enables installation in a single day and full commissioning within a few weeks, making modern signalling accessible even for regional and low-traffic rail lines.

Safety-Critical Performance Powered by QNX

• Deterministic real-time performance with 1–10 ms latency
• Certified safety foundation used in automotive and embedded industries
• Reliable management of safety I/O operations
• Secure train communications and control logic
• Integrated driver interface (HMI) support

Over 80% Cost Savings and Lower Certification Risk

• More than 80% cost reduction compared to traditional signalling upgrades
• Reduced infrastructure investment through train-based deployment
• Lower certification effort thanks to QNX pre-certified safety platform
• Faster development cycles and reduced project risk

Successful Early Deployments and Industry Impact

The system has already been tested in real-world operations, including the Coventry Very Light Rail (VLR) project in the UK, proving its technical feasibility and scalability.

If adopted at scale, this software-defined signalling model could significantly accelerate global rail modernization by lowering economic and technical barriers to safer, smarter rail networks.