10093817Mimicrete Vascular Self-healing Solution in Railway Practice - Phase 2 DemonstrationClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKThere are approximately 1.8Bn train journeys in the UK each year, with millions of people passing through stations on a daily basis \[Network Rail, 2022\]. It is imperative that the UK's railway infrastructure is maintained and updated to ensure safety and performance. Furthermore, innovation is needed to bring rail infrastructure in line with UK net zero carbon ambition. Concrete is used throughout the UK's rail network for significant structures including railway sleepers, track beds, retaining walls, copings and miscellaneous station infrastructure. However, whilst concrete is a robust and suitable material, its production is responsible for a significant proportion of global carbon emissions, and it is prone to cracking/degradation as a result of operational forces and environmental effects. For example, Network Rail requires approximately 800,000 concrete sleepers each year \[RailUK, 2020\] to cover both new infrastructure and replace damaged and end of life blocks. Mimicrete Ltd have developed a self-healing concrete technology that works to heal cracks as they form mitigating further cracking, subsequent structural issues and the need for repair and early replacement. Sustainability benefits include economic reduced life time costs, no need for regular inspection/maintenance), social (fewer sleeper inspections and replacements, minimising disruption to train journeys) and environmental (efficient material used We have assessed the feasibility of using our technology in concrete structures within railway infrastructure with a case study on sleepers and retaining walls in the first instance, and now plan a demonstration of our technology at the Global Centre of Rail Excellence (GCRE). Installing our technology at GCRE will enable long-term monitoring of our system in a real-world setting, providing the evidence of safety required for adoption by the industry. It will also enable us to conduct thorough analyses of the cost and carbon-footprint savings Mimicrete can deliver, and thus expedite our route to market. We aim to commercialise our systems post project via strong, strategic partnerships which we will develop in parallel to the technical delivery of this project. Successful completion of the project will allow us to prove our innovation for the rail sector in a way that ensures maximum benefits for end users.