Dronecloud and RUAS (Railscape’s UAS division), working with manufacturer Velos Rotors, have secured approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to roll out Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights across nine rail routes totalling 70km.

The flights will be operated from a purpose-built Drone Hub at Network Rail’s Birmingham Rail Operating Centre (ROC). Using Dronecloud’s pioneering Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) system alongside the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Atypical Air Environment framework, and with skilled UAV pilots from RUAS, this authorisation paves the way for rapid expansion across Network Rail’s 14 routes and 20,000 miles of track.

Why It Matters

This approval is more than a milestone in aviation — it’s a breakthrough for Britain’s railway.

•Incident management has cost Network Rail over £1bn in the past decade.
•Trespass alone has caused 1.5 million minutes of delays since April 2024.
•Routine inspections are costly & time-intensive

BVLOS operations allow drones to safely deliver large-scale, real-time monitoring and rapid response capabilities — reducing risk, cutting disruption, and enabling safer and more reliable services for passengers.