Hull business creates first environmentally friendly train ticket

Guest Editorial •  Winter 2022

Paragon ID, the global leader in identification solutions and supplier of magnetic rail tickets to UK rail operators from its manufacturing site in Hull, has revolutionised the production process to reduce environmental impact by 87%.

The familiar orange rail ticket was previously manufactured using a solvent-based system at Paragon ID’s Hull-based production site. The system produces the magnetic strip on the reverse of the ticket, which holds passenger journey data and is read by entry and exit barriers. Paragon ID partnered with the University of Hull and Hull City Council in a £230K programme to change the solvent-based production system to a water-based one.

The €131m turnover organisation and employer of 770 people globally co-operated with the University of Hull’s internship programme. They employed graduates to work with their technicians to develop and test the new solution, which represented an additional investment into the project. Over a two year-long period and working closely with Hull City Council, the team experimented with 11,000 tickets for compatibility with the rail network and the ticket’s lifespan.

Ryan Mellors, General Manager – BBP at Paragon ID said: “We are incredibly proud to have developed the water-based magnetic technology in collaboration with the University of Hull and their cutting-edge chemical and physics graduates. This is an important sustainability and environmental initiative for Paragon ID and secures the production of rail tickets and employment in Hull in the long-term.”

Jay Wadhawan, Professor of Engineering at the University of Hull said: “Over the last ten years, around 35 graduates and students from Chemistry, Physics and Engineering have enriched their employability through working with Paragon ID, unleashing their academic potential to solve relevant problems, whilst augmenting their business acumen.  We have been delighted that our continued partnership with Paragon ID has developed further successes and achievements. These will lead to sustainable and competitive advantages in the marketplace and will secure rail ticket manufacturing in Hull.”

For Paragon ID, the solution will now be rolled out across other sites around the globe, benefitting other transport operators such as the Paris rail network.

The resulting engineering improvements of this project, together with additional refurbishments to Paragon ID’s Hull site, were unveiled to the press and a senior cohort of representatives from Paragon ID in December 2022. www.paragon-id.com