Integrated Transport Digital Twin

Introduction to the Integrated Transport Digital Twin Programme 

Why digital twins matter 

In recent years, rapid advances in digital technologies, data science and artificial intelligence have created new opportunities to transform how transport networks are planned, managed and operated. In 2023, the Department for Transport (DfT) recognised this potential through the publication of the Transport Digital Twin Vision and Roadmap to 2035, setting out a long‑term ambition for the use of digital twins to support safer, more efficient and more resilient transport systems. Digital twins are live digital representations of assets or systems that can be used to model, test and optimise decisions in a virtual environment before they are implemented in the real world. In transport, they offer the potential to link data and decision‑making across different modes, operators and authorities, enabling a more integrated, whole‑system approach to network management.  

The Integrated Transport Digital Twin programme 

In Better Connected: A Strategy for Integrated Transport, the Department committed to invest £30 million to trial the Integrated Transport Digital Twin (ITDT) programme to enable local leaders to deliver better integrated transport at key corridors using digital twins.  ITDT trials will support local authority‑led consortia to develop and operate digital twins focused on key transport corridors or regions, bringing together multiple transport modes and stakeholders. The trials will run through to 2030 and are intended to demonstrate how integrated digital twins can improve network performance, resilience and user experience, while generating robust evidence to inform potential future national rollout. 

Building on existing research 

Research published by the Department in 2024 indicated that, if scaled nationally, integrated transport digital twins could deliver significant benefits, primarily through reduced congestion, improved journey reliability, better management of planned works and more effective response to incidents and crises.  However, digital twin deployment in transport has largely occurred in silos, limiting the ability to realise these wider, system‑level benefits.

Improving integration across transport networks 

The ITDT trials are designed to address this challenge by enabling better integration of transport locally, be it between local transport authorities, arm’s‑length bodies, operators and other partners. They will test how digital twins can be used in practice to improve coordination across organisational and modal boundaries, and how locally led solutions can be connected to national capabilities, including the Department’s Crisis Response Digital Twin.

How ITDT will be funded 

The programme will be delivered through a competitive grant funding process. We anticipate awarding funding to between four and six local authority‑led consortia. Funding will be provided as capital grants paid against agreed milestones set out via bespoke Memoranda of Understanding. Successful applicants will retain ownership of their digital twins and be responsible for their delivery and long‑term sustainability.

Learning, evaluation and data sharing 

As a research and development programme, the ITDT trials place a strong emphasis on learning and evaluation. An independent evaluator has been appointed to assess impact, value for money and processes across the programme, ensuring that lessons are captured and shared to support wider adoption. Projects are encouraged to arrange their own evaluation and lessons learned processes. Successful applicants will also be expected to publish datasets openly, contributing to innovation, transparency and economic growth in the digital and transport technology sectors. Successful applicants are also expected to join a working group to enable sharing of learnings across the programme and with leading external stakeholders.  

Long-term ambition 

Through this funding, the Department aims to support leading local authorities towards more integrated, data‑driven and locally owned transport management, while building the evidence base, standards and skills needed to scale this approach in the future. The ITDT trials will play a critical role in shaping how digital twins can be used to deliver better outcomes for passengers, freight, communities and the economy as a whole.  

Funding Available 

Up to £30 million of capital funding has been made available to the Integrated Transport Digital Twin (ITDT) programme over the period 2026 to 2030.  Funding will be profiled across the spending review period. Final funding allocations and payment profiles will be confirmed for each successful applicant through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed with the DfT. Authorities are encouraged to have procurement plans in place and ready for implementation to enable significant progress during FY 2026–27.

Funding approach 

DfT may decide not to award the full £30 million if insufficient proposals of the required quality are received, or if proposed projects do not demonstrate value for money, deliverability or alignment with programme objectives. DfT will take a portfolio approach to project selection to enable trials to take place in diverse settings.  Being invited to submit a bid does not guarantee funding and DfT will select projects for funding using a portfolio approach that will consider a range of factors, including transport complexity, existing digital maturity, data readiness, geography and other operational challenges, to ensure the programme generates the widest possible set of lessons for the sector.

Funding requirements 

The ITDT programme is a research and development (R&D) capital grant. Funding provided under this scheme is capital funding only (CDEL) and must be capitalised by the receiving local authority. Authorities are expected to maintain their digital twin capability following the R&D programme at their own cost.Successful applicants will be expected to make a contribution to their project, either through cash or in‑kind match funding, anticipated to be around 15% of total project costs. Match funding arrangements will be assessed as part of the application process.

Data sharing and collaboration 

Successful applicants will also be required to open up relevant datasets, in line with the scope of the competition, for example providing open access to Automatic Traffic Counter live and historic data. These datasets should be available via APIs, and be linked to appropriate data portals, for example the future Transport Data Marketplace, announced in the Transport Data Action Plan.In addition, funded projects will be expected to take part in a reasonable programme of dissemination activities, including Communities of Practice, working groups, and a showcase event at the Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) World Congress in October 2027. These activities will support wider standardisation efforts and promote consistency, interoperability and knowledge sharing across the programme and beyond. Successful projects are expected to integrate with DfT’s internal digital twin applications including the Crisis Response Digital Twin.

Payment arrangements 

Further details will be provided following the announcement of the successful bids. Once approved, the maximum value of the grant awarded to each project will be fixed. DfT will not provide additional funding to cover cost increases during delivery. Any cost overruns must be managed within local budgets, existing resources or through other funding sources, including private investment where appropriate.Funding will be paid in instalments every 6 months against the achievement of agreed milestones set out in the successful applicant’s MoU agreement. Failure to meet milestones or delivery requirements may result in payments being delayed, reduced or withheld. Applicants requesting an alternative payment timeline should include justification within their project plan, and this will be considered as part of the bid assessment. Applicants may request a single early payment to support the mobilisation of their project; such requests will be considered as part of the assessment process.

Eligible expenditure 

There is no minimum or maximum bid size under the ITDT programme. However, DfT reserves the right to require applicants to submit a revised, scaled‑up or scaled‑down proposal where this is necessary to ensure value for money, balance across the portfolio of funded projects, or alignment with overall programme objectives.Funding may be used to support the development, deployment and operation of Integrated Transport Digital Twins (ITDT), including associated digital infrastructure, data integration, modelling capability and enabling technology. Applications must clearly explain how proposed expenditure contributes directly to the delivery of an ITDT trial and to the objectives of the wider Integrated Transport Digital Twin programme.

Project delivery and timescales 

All funded projects are expected to commence delivery following grant award in October 2026, with ITDT trials running through to 2030, and final evaluation and programme closure completed by March 2030. Ownership of assets created through the funding will remain with the relevant local authority following programme completion.