Synthetic Environment Bid - Technical Advisory Support

Project Outline

The Synthetic Environment (SE) is a pioneering tool developed under the T190+ Programme, aiming to transform Britain’s railways by reducing signalling costs and enhancing sustainability.

Central to this initiative is the deployment of in-cab signalling via the European Train Control System (ETCS), which will significantly reduce the need for traditional lineside infrastructure.

SE is designed to streamline the design and delivery of ETCS replacements for life-expired signalling installations. By accelerating the process from conception to Approval for Construction, SE promises to deliver substantial cost and resource savings. Key objectives include:

Simplifying Verification & Validation by reusing validated data and evidence.
Reducing Trackside Access requirements for maintenance and commissioning.
Optimising Modelling, Simulation, & Testing by having data and tools within a single package.
Supporting Application Requirements by validating both generic and specific needs for railway signalling.

Currently at the Proof-of-Concept stage, the project’s next phase is to develop a Minimum Viable Product and introduce SE in Shadow Mode Running—allowing industry users to trial the tool alongside traditional methods and identify further improvements.

Key Information

Project	Synthetic Environment Bid
Client	Ramboll
Services	Bid Support / Control, Command & Signalling (CCS) Subject Matter Expertise (SME)
Duration	March 2025 – May 2025

Our Service

Mercury3 Consult played a pivotal role in supporting Ramboll’s bid for the Synthetic Environment project:

Expert Technical Advisory: Produced and reviewed Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) and Invitation to Tender (ITT) responses, focusing on how SE would enable efficient CCS system design and assurance.
Collaborative Bid Reviews: Conducted independent and team-based reviews of bid documentation.
Subject Matter Expertise: Provided CCS SME (Subject matter expertise) support for ad-hoc queries, knowledge sharing in bid meetings, and advice on team structure for project delivery.
Agile Delivery: Maintained a flexible, collaborative approach to meet tight bid deadlines and deliver a high-quality submission on time.

[The Mercury3 consultant] played a key role in our tender for the delivery of Network Rail’s Synthetic Environment. Bringing key insights of the challenges the client has faced in the design and development of ETCS schemes allowed us to craft a solution we are very proud of. His proactive approach gave our software developers, designers and specialist partners a full understanding of the complex functional requirements.

Carl Gallafant

Rail Director, Ramboll

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Key Achievements

Submission-ready bid delivered ahead of schedule.

Mercury3 Consult’s technical paper introduced innovative approaches to design tool development.

Our support demonstrated a deep understanding of client challenges and delivered solutions centred on end-user needs.

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