Panasonic is trying to muscle in on the rail industry’s nascent technology revolution with several new products, including one that immediately alerts passengers to delays and cancellations.

The company said the railways had fallen behind sectors such as aviation in its embrace of technology and it has brought in experts from Japan to help its UK innovation team trial products and make them commercially viable.

Panasonic said this was the first time it had used the expertise of its Japanese colleagues for rail-related technology. It said the issue of providing immediate journey information was the top priority identified at a recent forum on rail.

“Our innovation team is actively working to develop a method of making the connected passenger journey a reality for commuters,” it said.