Setbacks in technological development to rail network

13th April 2015

Jordan Mulcare

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While advances in wireless applications and technology have improved the customer experience for rail passengers and new back-office systems have enabled enhancements in traffic management and automated driver advisory services, there still remains an uphill struggle to upgrade often antiquated systems of many Train Operating Companies (TOCs).

This was one of the conclusions from last week’s Cambridge Wireless Automotive and Transport event on How Innovation is Reinventing Rail Travel. Mustafa Gulam, Head of Technology, Rail Settlement Plan, ATOC, opened the event discussing the future of smart ticketing technology in the UK from Oyster cards and contactless EMV utilised by London operators to mobile apps, self-printing ticketing and the Government backed ITSO smart card initiatives being rolled out across the south east of England.

“Future smart ticketing solutions will need to accommodate for the varying needs of the leisure traveller versus the daily commuter,” said Mostafa. “ITSO is working towards this but innovative flexible products are often blocked by fares regulation which restricts discounted smart tickets as well as the fragmented rollout of infrastructure in the past.”

Richard Silley, Area Sales Manager, National Instruments, outlined the complications involved in upgrading outmoded data systems used by many TOCs: “The operational technology is often not well integrated with the core IT infrastructure, meaning that vast amounts of data are collected but left untapped,” said Silley. “With advances in wireless sensors, remote condition monitoring is becoming a much stronger business case and has the potential to make this operational data more visible and valuable.”

The feel-good story of the day was provided by Rob Morland, Director, A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, with his in depth look into the technological expertise invested in the creation of the 60163 Tornado, a steam train fully certified for use on the UK mainline. The project, embarked upon by the A1 Steam locomotive Trust in 1990, was funded almost exclusively by charitable donations and sponsorship.

“Part of the challenge on the electrical side was ensuring that the Tornado met the rigorous visibility requirements for modern day trains. The trust commissioned optical physicist Alan Green to fit the Tornado with a headlamp with the equivalent intensity of a 150W halogen bulb. Building Tornado was an endeavour nearly 20 years in the making, a mammoth task that captured the imagination of the media and general public,” commented Morland.