The government of Ulyanovsk, a Russian region in the mid-Volga area, and the regional Kuibyshev branch of Russian Railways, the national railroad operator, have agreed on a new roadmap designed to help local innovative technologies find their ways into national railroad transport.

The roadmap lists 48 innovative solutions developed by Ulyanovsk regional companies, including seven from start-ups nurtured by the Ulnanotech nanotech center in Ulyanovsk, announced Rusnano, Russia’s umbrella nanotech company and the founder of Ulnanotech.

The following projects by the young companies CarbonLab, RuGadget and PBP.Studio are now expected to make a difference in Russia’s railroad system by 2021 already:

1) new paint and varnish materials for railroad infrastructure and cars;

2) a smart lighting and power supply system;

3) power supply for infrastructure sites that are located far away from electrical grids;

4) a system to alert railroad repair personnel to a train approaching;

5) a device that enables the degaussing of rails next to insulating joints;

6) an AR/VR enhanced 3D simulator for train drivers;

7) a device that remotely turns on a locomotive’s engine heating.

According to Ulnanotech CEO Dmitry Pak, implementing the above solutions will help Russian Railways upgrade processes, improve cost-effectiveness, and by enhancing quality increase passenger safety.