Staff smartcard to boost Underground safety

London Underground to appoint IT supplier

London Underground plans to improve safety procedures by making its proposed staff smartcard scheme compatible with systems used by Network Rail.

Tube Lines and Metronet Rail, the two public-private partnerships responsible for upgrading the London Underground network, are close to appointing an IT supplier to design the smartcard scheme, which will authenticate more than 30,000 maintenance staff and contractors (Computing, 5 May).

The organisations want to ensure that the cards are compatible with systems used by Network Rail, which maintains the UK rail infrastructure, so that contract workers cannot break EU regulations which limit the hours they can work.

‘We don’t want someone coming off a 12-hour shift with Network Rail and then showing up for a shift with us,’ said Charles Marks, Metronet Rail IT director. ‘We need to be linked with Network Rail. We need a system for the whole rail community.’

The Integrated Site Access and Competency Compliance system will be rolled out to more than 300 London Underground sites, including stations, depots and equipment buildings, to log staff in and out and check training and safety certificates are up to date.

By making the scheme compatible with Network Rail’s systems, the London rail organisations will be able to ensure a consistent approach to the safety of maintenance workers across the capital, says Marks.

At the moment individuals and teams of trackside maintenance workers sign in at a station manager’s office when starting their shift. It can sometimes be difficult to tell immediately whether or not they have clocked out if they exit via another tube station.

‘A smartcard would provide a means of verifying that the person is who they say they are, and that their competencies are up to date. There is a strong safety aspect and it provides assurances about competencies and access in and out of sites,’ said Marks.

Tube Lines, the firm running the procurement process, is also considering whether to include biometric data as part of the scheme, to add an extra level of identification when authenticating employees.