Network Rail signals change

Attempts to improve the UK’s railway infrastructure have often been complicated by the difficulty in integrating modern technology with ageing IT systems.

Network Rail, which owns and operates the rail infrastructure, has long been hampered in its plans by legacy systems inherited from its predecessors British Rail and Railtrack.

In the past, this has prevented the company from using technology more effectively, but in an exclusive interview with Computing, IT director Catherine Doran says the challenge for the next 18 months is to review and improve integration of the new and old technology.

‘After many new initiatives in the past three years, we now have technology that is 40 years old and some that is 40 days old,’ said Doran.

‘The co-existence of new and old infrastructure is complex and we need to decide the direction for our legacy systems.’

One immediate concern is the development of the Total Operations Processing System (Tops). This monitors the daily performance of track in real-time but was developed specifically for railways many decades ago.

‘These systems are integral to the operation of the railways, so decisions on how to modernise them are critical for us and the train operators,’ Doran said.

New developments mean integration is more important than ever, with Network Rail focusing on IT automation to improve productivity and cut costs.

The rail operator is this week launching a pilot where signalling staff will be issued mobile PCs to allow them to automatically complete forms, such as accident reports, timesheets and general administration.

In the summer, Network Rail issued maintenance staff with handheld devices (Computing, 17 August) to replace reams of paper required to log problems.

The company has also begun a two-and-a-half-year programme to automate and integrate its timetable design, replacing manual tools and spreadsheets.

‘Timetables sound straightforward but are complicated because you must take into account rules such as the distance between trains or the relationship between passenger and freight trains,’ said Doran.

‘Automation improves productivity and reduces costs but also cuts down on errors which – with the best will in the world – can creep in. Written forms are often difficult to read and we want to make sure our staff have the necessary equipment to do their job.’

Forrester analyst Henry Harteveldt says stepping back and taking a strategic view of how Network Rail’s old and new systems integrate with each other is a wise approach.

‘It is not unusual for companies such as rail operators to use technology that goes back decades,’ he said. ‘Network Rail’s approach will be driven by what is running on these legacy systems and if they are mission-critical. It can then determine if it is more cost-effective to work around the existing technology or migrate to new systems.’

Network Rail... in 30 seconds 

Network Rail was formed in 2002 to take over management of tracks, signals and stations from Railtrack. It owns and operates more than 21,000 miles of track, and manages more than 28,000 journeys every day. 

To share information and improve performance, Network Rail developed its Knowledge Hub – a central electronic library where staff can go online to access and share data, rather than sending paper. 

It is modernising IT in its front and back office, adding new applications such as procurement and customer relationship management to recently installed enterprise resource planning software. It is also migrating performance information to new data warehouses. 

More than 2.75 million passengers travel on the network each day – more than one billion each year. Data is collected continuously by trackside monitoring systems, and is then sent to a central database.

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Further reading

Rail company plans to automate timetables

Rail maintenance staff issued with handhelds

Delayed rail wireless links get back on timetable