The Challenge

East West Railway (EWR) set out to deliver one of the UK’s most ambitious new rail projects, connecting Oxford and Cambridge. With limited time, budget, and resources, the project needed a clear, defensible digital strategy and robust information requirements to guide its supply chain. Without them, delivery risk and inefficiencies could have grown rapidly.

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Our Approach

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Brought in at a critical moment, we worked closely with EWR to shape their entire digital approach. In a short timeframe, we:

• Researched and wrote the full suite of documents — including the Digital Strategy, Project Information Requirements (PIR), Exchange Information Requirements (EIR), System and Functional Information Requirements (SIR, FIR), Asset Information Requirements (AIR), and supporting protocols.

• Applied systems engineering discipline — keeping requirements tight, structured, and focused on outcomes, rather than bloated or unrealistic.

• Red teamed every document — ensuring that strategies and requirements were not only practical but also contractually watertight.

• Used plain language — cutting through jargon so supply chains could clearly understand expectations and respond effectively.

• Embedded innovation — giving suppliers the space to demonstrate new and better ways of delivering outcomes, while holding them accountable to measurable requirements.

• Provided ongoing support — guiding the project team to maintain alignment as strategies and requirements evolved.

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The Impact

Through this concentrated effort, EWR achieved:

• A progressive digital strategy recognised as forward-thinking in the rail sector.

• A cohesive set of information requirements,  concise, accessible, and outcome-driven.

• Time and cost efficiencies, by stripping requirements back to what was truly essential.

• A defensible contractual position, giving EWR confidence in managing suppliers.

• A framework that encouraged the supply chain to bring forward innovation, efficiency, and best practice.

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The Value Proposition

The East West Railway case demonstrates the power of focused systems engineering and plain language information requirements. Even under severe constraints of time, budget, and resources, it is possible to create a robust digital foundation that:

• Guides supply chains with clarity.

• Reduces waste and duplication.

• Encourages innovation while maintaining control.

• Supports long-term performance across the asset lifecycle.

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East West Railway proved that with the right digital strategy and plain language requirements, clarity and innovation can go hand in hand, even under the tightest constraints.