Rail company plans to automate timetables

Network Rail is launching two major new IT projects as part of a drive to increase automation and improve productivity.

The railway infrastructure firm is creating an integrated train planning system for development of timetables, and this week issued signalling staff with mobile devices as part of a new trial.

Information management director Catherine Doran says automation of timetable development will be completed in four phases over two-and-a-half years.

‘Creating timetables may seem straightforward, but is hideously complicated,’ said Doran. ‘We want to replace manual tools and spreadsheets with an automated platform so timetables are interactive and can be manipulated on screen.’

Doran says the project will deliver significant time savings, improved efficiency and lower costs through the reduction of paper and administration.

Some signalling staff are testing HP tablet PCs to automate forms such as incident reports and timesheets.

‘The PCs will be loaded with automated forms and the data can be uploaded directly to a central database,’ said Doran. ‘This will improve productivity and cut costs, as well as reduce errors.’

The pilot will be used to determine which wireless communication method is most effective for remote staff, such as GSM or GPRS. ‘A full rollout is planned for next year,’ said Doran.

Forrester analyst Phil Sayer says automation is one of the fastest growing trends in the private sector and it is good to see the public sector following suit.

‘The potential benefits and return on investment are easy to quantify, such as time savings, improved processes and better customer service,’ he said.

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Further reading

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