Welcome to the B4CM Project

Delivering a blockchain-based solution for the attribution of data costs across organisational boundaries in rail

About the Team

About the Project

Over the past decade there has been a significant level of investment throughout Europe in the digitalisation of the rail network. This includes the installation of sensors on the infrastructure and vehicles, the deployment of next generation traffic management systems that allow real-time management of the system, and the provision of mobile applications for passengers and staff. Despite the wealth of new data provided by these systems, the railways are still struggling in their aspiration to be an information-led industry due to a lack of traceability of information usage, and the commercial barriers between stakeholders.

Blockchains are a disruptive technology that have the potential to accelerate the development of rail as the primary medium-distance carrier within the wider multi-modal transportation system. Directly funded by the rail industry via the EU Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking, the B4CM project will identify key use cases for the technology within the railways, deliver a blockchain-based testbed that enables the benefits of the technology to be formally evaluated, and demonstrate the value of blockchains in the attribution of data costs across organisational boundaries within the European rail sector.

The overall aim for B4CM is to develop and deliver a blockchain-based testbed for the attribution of data costs across organisational boundaries, and to demonstrate the operation of the framework and in the context of the European Rail Industry, enabling future developers to extend the tools produced based on a known working configuration.

This project has the following main research and training objectives:

Objective 1: To identify and develop use cases that support the application of blockchain in the railway sector;

Objective 2: To develop an implementable blockchain framework for the attribution of data costs in systems crossing organisational boundaries;

Objective 3: To evaluate mechanisms for the incorporation of the developed blockchain framework into the financial processes of the European rail sector;

Objective 4: To develop a testbed, demonstrating the operation of the framework in the context of the rail sector, enabling future developers to extend the tools produced based on a known working configuration;

Objective 5: To disseminate the findings of the project and the lessons learned to influence best practice in innovation and technology uptake in a key and evolving field within the European rail sector;

Objective 6: To support the development of a researcher in gaining a PhD and thus generating a skilled specialist valuable to the European rail sector.

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