DARe unveils first version of innovative framework (TPRAF)

Milestone achievement accelerates efforts to create a climate resilient, adaptable and decarbonised UK transport system

The DARe Hub is celebrating a major milestone in its mission to reshape how the UK plans, manages, and invests in transport infrastructure. Following two years of intensive, cross-disciplinary development – spanning systems modelling, climate science, infrastructure engineering, and degradation-related science – the Hub has released the first version of the DARe Transport Performance & Risk Analysis Framework (TPRAF), now available to DARe Funders and Project Partners through the DARe Repository.

The TPRAF provides a first-of-its-kind, integrated, and holistic framework for understanding transport system performance, quantifying climate and operational risks, evaluating whole life trade-offs, and stress testing options for decarbonisation and adaptation.

Built Through Deep Collaboration and Real-world Insights

Since day one, the DARe team has prioritised close collaboration with transport stakeholders to ensure the framework is practical, applicable, and grounded in real decision-making needs. Extensive engagement with Project Partners, including national infrastructure owners, local and combined authorities, and transport operators, has shaped the framework’s structure, modules, and data flows.

Reflecting on the journey to this milestone, Prof Jennifer Schooling (DARe Co-Director, Anglia Ruskin University) commented:

“This first version of the TPRAF is the result of extraordinary hard work from our team, who have dedicated themselves to building a resource that is robust and rigorously thought through. We set out to create something that bridges the gap between academia and practice, and I am incredibly proud of how far we’ve come. Thanks to the team’s commitment and our partners’ contributions, the TPRAF will be ready to help transport stakeholders make more evidence based, futureproof decisions before the end of DARe’s programme.”

The TPRAF was presented to DARe’s Funders (UKRI EPSRC and the Department for Transport) and arms-length bodies Network Rail, National Highways, and HS2, at a dedicated workshop held in London in February 2026. The session sparked thoughtful discussion, with attendees offering strong support, constructive feedback, and enthusiasm for the upcoming phases of testing and refinement.

This workshop also highlighted the growing recognition across the sector that better integration of climate adaptation, resilience planning, and decarbonisation evidence is urgently needed, and that the TPRAF offers an important step forward.

A Framework Designed for Impact

DARe’s overarching mission is clear: to support the transition to a decarbonised land transport system that is resilient and adaptive to climate change. The TPRAF embodies that ambition.

Its modular structure gives users flexible access to:

• The Decision Support Process (DSP) – A process-oriented approach to help users understand the broader implications of infrastructure choices, including carbon impact, sustainability, and resilience.
• The Integrated Modelling Platform (IMP) – An approach for modelling to simulate climate-related disruptions to transport infrastructure and users, and to explore adaptation options to increase resilience.
• And a fully integrated TPRAF – A overall framework that brings together the DSP and IMP to enable users to holistically assess infrastructure performance and risks, and measure benefits and costs.

This will support stakeholders, among other things, to:

• Move beyond asset-by-asset assessments to whole system understanding;
• Integrate resilience, sustainability, carbon, and long-term performance into decisions;
• Justify investments with clearer evidence and transparent trade-offs;
• And stress test future strategies against multiple plausible climate and demand futures.

Testing Underway Across Five Place-Based Case Studies

Development of the TPRAF continues through a suite of five co-created case studies, spanning Cambridgeshire, the North East of England, Greater Manchester, the Dover-Folkestone rail line, and Great Britain’s national freight system. These studies are allowing DARe’s team to test the framework under diverse conditions, from extreme heat impacts on public transport and flooding-driven network disruption, to freight electrification and energy-system dependencies.

Each case study is designed to demonstrate how different components of the TPRAF can be used, where refinements are needed, and to generate actionable insights for stakeholders involved in these case studies.

A Year of Engagement and Knowledge-Sharing Ahead

With a first version now complete, the DARe Hub is entering a year focused on engagement, demonstration, and developing supporting resources, including:

• Demonstrating components of TPRAF through case studies;
• Developing guidance and training to help organisations apply the framework, including publication of the DARe Handbook which will offer step-by-step implementation guidance;
• Continued feedback loops with stakeholders to enhance clarity and value.

Transport planners and practitioners, decision‑makers, and other researchers can stay informed about upcoming opportunities by signing up to DARe’s mailing list.

A Milestone That Sets the Stage for System-Wide Impact

The release of the TPRAF’s first version is a milestone that reflects not just technical achievement, but also teamwork, perseverance, and deep engagement across the transport sector. As the framework is tested, refined, and supported through upcoming communications and engagement activities, its potential to improve evidence-based decision-making – and ultimately to support the transition to a climate-resilient, adaptable, and decarbonised transport system – will continue to grow.