Four train operators have teamed up with nine tech start-ups to help shape the future of the rail industry.

Southeastern, Northern, LNER, and TransPennine Express have joined forces under the initiative called Future Labs.

The aim is to drive forward ideas in the industry to overcome any issues or challenges faced in the rail industry while improving customer service.

The selected companies will take part in 12-week programme to help bring their products and services to life.

They will have the opportunity to apply, test, and demonstrate their ideas in a real-world environment.

Richard Harrison, chief financial officer of DOHL, which has responsibility for the four operators involved in Future Labs, said: "Our railways are essential in connecting people across the country and play a vital role in supporting the UK's economy.

"Working together we can find innovative solutions to drive forward growth by making the best use of technology to improve train performance, accessibility and customer experience."

More than 100 companies applied to be part of Future Labs, each proposing innovative solutions and products.

The finalists were selected by rail industry leaders following a pitch day in York earlier this month.

The chosen companies are:

- Chata.ai: A solution that enables organisations to harness their data through proactive self-service analytics, allowing users to access real-time insights by asking simple questions.

- Cleancore Intelligence: A solution for tracking cleaning compliance and footfall that removes manual record keeping by highlighting where cleaning is needed.

- 1Huddle: A recruitment, engagement and development platform that uses games to train up, onboard and attract talent.

- iqast: Provides a fully automatic forecasting solution with artificial intelligence and machine learning.

- Cognition24: Offers a mobile app designed for individuals with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and other hidden disabilities, providing real-time travel information in an accessible format.

- Zing Data: A platform offering artificial intelligence-powered business intelligence and visual data analytics solutions.

- Treeva: Captures renewable energy from the turbulent airflow of passing transport.

- PotentialU: Helps frontline leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses of their team.

- Moonbility: A digital twin company that predicts and simulates asset failures in the transport sector.

Daniel Saunders, CEO of L Marks, which is running the Future Labs programme, said: "The energy at the Future Labs Pitch Day was electric!

"It has been fantastic to witness the engagement from LNER, Northern, Southeastern, and TransPennine Express over the past few months and during the day itself.

"I was incredibly impressed by the entrepreneurs behind the nine companies that have been selected to join the programme and I’m excited to see how Future Labs will fast-track these innovations to shape the future of the rail industry."