The United Kingdom successfully tested the first train in the world with quantum technology on a commercial line between London and Welwyn Garden City, using sensors that dispense GPS and calculate the position of the train autonomously, even inside tunnels and dense urban areas.
When it comes to transportation technology, most people look to China. But it was the United Kingdom that successfully tested the first train in the world with quantum technology, on a real commercial line between London and Welwyn Garden City. The system, named RQINS (Railway Quantum Inertial Navigation System), completely dispenses with GPS and operates autonomously, calculating the train’s position using quantum sensors that measure movement variations with extreme precision. The test was conducted in collaboration with Network Rail and Great British Railways.
The result was more than a laboratory experiment on tracks. The first train in the world with quantum technology demonstrated that it is possible to track the position of a train in real-time without relying on satellite signals, which can fail in tunnels, dense urban areas, or situations of deliberate interference. The success of the test puts the United Kingdom at the forefront of a technology that could redefine the safety and efficiency of rail transport on a global scale.
How quantum navigation that replaces GPS works on the first train in the world with this technology
The RQINS system breaks with the traditional model of railway location. While GPS relies on signals sent by satellites in orbit, quantum navigation operates completely autonomously, using sensors installed on the train itself that measure any variation in the movement of the train with a precision that conventional technology cannot achieve.
