RAIL CHAMPIONS
xperts from across the indus- try gathered in London for a breakfast meeting to discuss how the greater and more efficient use of IT, automation and digital tech- nology can make for a better rail- way for passengers, operators and Network Rail.
E RTM reports from a recent Rail Champions briefing on IT in the rail industry.
26 stakeholders from all sides of the industry attended the briefing at the old London Patent Office in Holborn in late November, hosted by Rail Champions and Captec.
Rail Technology Magazine was among the attendees, to hear the debate and exchange of views on everything from ticketing and pas- senger information to cyber-ter- rorism and signalling technology.
There was discussion of the need for Europe-wide legislation and standards for e-interoperability, a rise in common interfaces and subsystems to make ‘plug and play’ and greater modularity a reality, and the greater focus that CP5 will see on sophisticated procurement of technological solutions based on whole-life costs, not just up- front purchase price.
There was some unsurprising criticism from suppliers about the three-year approval process, and a widespread recognition that improving digital passenger infor- mation is likely to be an area for special focus in the next couple of years, and that the rise of social media is having a definite impact on this.
On ticketing, there was a recogni- tion that not all passengers are the same, and can’t be treated that way – commuters have different prior- ities, habits and endurance levels than infrequent long-distance lei- sure travellers, or frequent inter- city business passengers. But there was much talk of better integra- tion of ticketing systems, not only between UK cities and regions, but between modes – bus, tram and plane, for a start.
Gavin McKechnie, head of retail
issue compared to more traditional human error, vandalism and theft – most notably, of course, of metal and cables, which is causing huge problems for the industry without criminals needing anything in the way of digital know-how.
Cliff Perry, ex-chairman of the railway division of the IMechE, who chaired the debate, acknowl- edged this, saying: “It was inter- esting to note that human error or vandalism were seen as more of a threat to the reliability of our network than weakness of or cyber threats to computer-based systems.
at Network Rail, said: “Lessons learned from airports are now be- ing seen in our stations. New retail floors in Kings Cross, Victoria and Waterloo bring in much needed investment, provide modern clean spaces, and areas to relax and shop with Customer Information Screens (CIS) placed in strategic places.”
Highways and border controls benefit from intelligent signage, enabling effective management of commuter traffic and congestion easing, the panel noted, while Nick Donaldson, director of Microsoft, Avnet said: “We all enjoy leading edge smart phone technology and travellers regularly carry out so- phisticated decision making when
planning a journey. However, op- erators and transport planners alike must not ignore the fact that there are two types of customers: those who are IT literate and those who are not!”
Jonathan Fernandez, senior pro- ject manager at London Under- ground, commented: “We have an ageing population in the UK, with most commuters still choosing the car over alternative means of transport. Interestingly, reliability in the network is now deemed so good, that the slightest disruptions are greeted with irritation and dis- trust.”
The panel saw cyber-crime and hacking as a relatively low-profile
“A simple case of cable theft or wires down on the railway can cripple the network,
impacting
journey times and causing untold lost revenue.”
Other attendees included Network Rail’s head of supplier engage- ment, Katie Ferrier, Mouchel’s divisional manager Andy Norris, and Balfour Beatty Rail’s head of strategic development, Richard Graham.
The next Rail Champions briefing is due to be held in March.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
E:
Victoria@rail-champions.com W:
www.rail-champions.com
rail technology magazine Dec/Jan 12 | 11
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