Winter Roundup: Recent Wins and New Technology

Recent Highlights

Hotshot Takes to the Tracks

AIVR technology has been installed on South Western Railway’s Class 450 ‘Hotshot’ train with advanced thermal and visible monitoring technology, delivering continuous intelligent monitoring across London, Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, and Dorset.

One Big Circle has been working in collaboration with South Western Railway (SWR), Network Rail, Angel Trains, Siemens, and dg8 Design on an innovative year-long trial that’s set to transform railway maintenance and passenger experience. The AIVR system has been fitted to SWR’s Class 450 train number 450-056 to provide intelligent monitoring of track infrastructure.

The Hotshot train features specialist AIVR camera systems including AIVR Thermal for capturing thermographic imagery to identify overheating assets and potential electrical failures before they occur, AIVR FFV visible cameras recording detailed HD video of the track and lineside environment, and AIVR Shoe cameras positioned underneath to monitor the critical interaction between shoe gear and third rail.

All captured data is available through the secure AIVR Platform, trusted by over 12,000 rail professionals across the UK network. Engineers can review data and conduct comprehensive inspections from their laptops without needing to attend site. During an earlier trial, the AIVR cameras identified a fault near Ashtead, Surrey, which was rectified within 48 hours with zero impact on passenger journeys. Network Rail reports that a similar previous incident caused 2,500 minutes of delays.

Rail Minister, Lord Hendy, said: “This Government is fundamentally reforming how our railways are run – creating a network that works better for the people and freight using it. The cutting-edge technology that the integrated South Western Railway is trialling is key to achieving this and will serve as an example of the kinds of smart investments publicly owned rail companies can implement to improve services for passengers.”

Read more about our work with South Western Railway.

 

Southeastern Expansion

Following a successful pilot, Southeastern has invested in expanding AIVR technology across their trains, transforming passenger services into mobile inspection platforms and preventing thousands of delay minutes.

The deployment includes Southeastern’s Class 707 City Beam trains fitted with AIVR FFV and AIVR Thermal cameras covering London Metro Routes, and the Class 375 Electrostar trains equipped with forward-facing and thermal cameras for Main line routes across East Sussex and Kent.

This integration has transformed passenger trains into mobile inspection platforms capable of providing real-time information on railway conditions across critical sections of the network. During the pilot phase alone, 37 instances of overheating rail infrastructure were detected, and over 8,000 delay minutes were prevented.

Dan Paris, Fleet Maintenance Director at South Eastern Railway, commented: “Train-borne cameras provide the early warnings we need to identify and fix problems before they cause disruption for our customers. The cameras on the City Beams are monitoring our London Metro routes and now with a new set of cameras being added to 20 of our Class 375s trains we can look out for any issues on a much wider area across East Sussex and Kent. I’m confident that they will really help us in our drive to improve performance and reduce delays.”

Read more about our work with Southeastern Railway.

Sunday Times Best Place to Work

One Big Circle was named one of the UK’s Top 10 Medium-sized Companies and awarded Best Medium-sized Technology Company by The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2025.

This recognition, published by The Sunday Times in partnership with WorkL, celebrates organisations that go above and beyond to create outstanding workplaces. We’re proud to be counted among over 500 leading UK employers who are committed to exceptional wellbeing, inclusivity, and support.

This follows our 2024 King’s Award for Enterprise for Innovation award, which recognised our commitment to advancing technology in the rail sector. These achievements reflect our dedication to building a positive and inclusive workplace culture where everyone can thrive – and it’s all thanks to our exceptional team, who are the heart of One Big Circle.

Read more about our Sunday Times Best Place to Work win.

500,000 AIVR Sessions

Our platform has now surpassed over 500,000 sessions, each representing a complete train journey’s worth of infrastructure data. This milestone reflects the scale and trust placed in AIVR across the UK rail network, with over 12,000 rail professionals using it daily to monitor infrastructure remotely and deliver immediate safety, efficiency and cost improvements.

New Picture in Picture Tool

Users can watch multiple video streams simultaneously with our ‘Picture in Picture’ tool on AIVR. View any combination of video streams side by side – compare both sides of the track during structural inspections, or examine thermal hotspots alongside visible footage for instant context and faster decision-making.

How to use it:

1. Navigate to ‘Still Images’
2. Click the ‘Picture in Picture’ icon in the bottom menu of the video player

Introducing AIVR UGMS (Unattended Geometry Measuring System)

AIVR UGMS joins our unified AIVR suite with automated track geometry monitoring, empowering rail operators with critical insights for network-wide safety and asset management.

Track geometry measurement is fundamental to railway safety – monitoring how well rails are aligned, spaced, and leveled across the network. AIVR UGMS monitors essential parameters including gauge, alignment, curvature, crosslevel, warp, twist, and vertical/horizontal profiles.

Unlike traditional systems, AIVR UGMS uses advanced laser technology on maintenance trains for automated, highly accurate measurements. What sets it apart is the integration with the AIVR Platform – geometry data is combined with synchronised line-scanning, forward-facing and thermal imagery, giving engineers a comprehensive digital twin of the railway to prioritise maintenance and respond efficiently.

Read more about AIVR UGMS.

 

Where to Find Us

The One Big Circle team will be at the following industry events throughout the coming months. Come and say hello, see our technology in action, and learn more about how AIVR is helping create a safer, smarter railway:

• 21 January – RIA Unlocking Innovation Scotland
• 5 March – Peleton Rail Scotland
• 12 March – RIN London
• 17-18 March – RIA Innovation Conference
• 9 April – Rail Link Dublin
• 30 April – RIA Unlocking Innovation Eastern
• 20-21 May – The Rise of IoT and Big Data
• 17-18 June – Rail Live

Want to learn more about AIVR technology or see our systems in action? Get in touch with our team or visit us at one of the upcoming events listed above.