Skip to main content

UK railways to benefit from information upgrade

More than US$13.44 million funding will be spent by train companies to boost passenger information at stations across the UK. The funding will pay for a national roll-out to link customer information screens at stations to the latest live real time train information data, fed from a database developed and maintained by train companies. The upgrade will be rolled out in around 2,000 National Rail stations. The first stations will be switched on in summer 2014 and the whole project is anticipated to be comp
January 3, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
More than US$13.44 million funding will be spent by train companies to boost passenger information at stations across the UK.

The funding will pay for a national roll-out to link customer information screens at stations to the latest live real time train information data, fed from a database developed and maintained by train companies.  The upgrade will be rolled out in around 2,000 National Rail stations.  The first stations will be switched on in summer 2014 and the whole project is anticipated to be complete in 2015.

The scheme follows successful trials at seventeen stations managed by Virgin Trains along the West Coast Main Line and across all the stations operated by Chiltern Railways. The funding is provided through the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP) and the data will feed through from National Rail Enquiries (NRE).

Alec McTavish, NSIP lead for the Association of Train Operating Companies (1998 ATOC) said: “This funding is good news for passengers as it means every National Rail station with a customer information screen will be using the most up-to date ‘live’ train running information.

“With train travel more popular now than it has been for 90 years and over 1.4 billion trips made last year, operators know that passengers want the most up to-date information about their journey.

“Significant amounts of time and money have been invested in providing better, more consistent information for passengers. But we know that we can always improve, which is why operators are working with the rest of the industry and listening to passengers to find ways to keep on improving things even further.”

Train companies are working hard to continuously improve the information they give to passengers. Earlier this year NRE launched its own free smartphone app for iPhone and Android operating systems, offering UK passengers even more choice over how they access real time information about train journeys.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Nantes and Lyon to upgrade ticketing
    May 23, 2014
    Xerox is to begin upgrading the bank card payment modules in devices on the public transport networks of Nantes in north-west France and Lyon in south-east France, to ensure they conform to the latest banking standards. Ticket vending machines in both Nantes and Lyon and ticket booking office terminals in Lyon, installed between 2000 and 2005, will be upgraded.
  • Taxi apps causing anger and frustration
    May 23, 2014
    Hailo, an app that allows Londoners to hail a taxi through their smartphones, was founded in 2010 by three black-cab drivers and three technology entrepreneurs. Hailo is now causing tensions with the capital’s black-cab drivers, who are angry that Hailo bosses have applied to Transport for London for a private hire licence - the same as minicabs. Limousines and a pre-booking option are among services Hailo could offer under the new licence. It is understood that Hailo hopes to receive a decision from TfL wi
  • French road directorate opts for PTV and Inrix traffic information
    October 6, 2015
    Ile-de-France Road Directorate (DiRIF) has selected PTV Group, in collaboration with Inrix, to monitor traffic and congestion in real-time across the Greater Paris metropolitan area, which serves a population of 12 million people. DiRIF will use the PTV Optima analytics platform, which delivers traffic-related insight based on real-time data from Inrix, allowing DiRIF to monitor traffic flow and gridlock across its road network more effectively.
  • Spin: work with cities to optimise micromobility
    September 15, 2020
    E-scooter providers must form close partnerships with local governments to create a successful operating environment which the public will accept and embrace, says Spin