Media centre

Tuesday 18 Jun 2019

South London, Surrey and Sussex rail passengers to benefit from £10m project to improve customer information systems

Region & Route:

Southern

Rail passengers across South London, Surrey and Sussex are benefitting from better journey information following a £10m investment by Network Rail, in partnership with train operators, Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express.

 

New and improved screens, designed by a team of rail industry experts and developed through trials with passenger groups, have been installed at 157 stations across the region.

The 536 new screens are providing passengers who travel on Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express services with more information in an easier-to-read format.

Public address (PA) systems have been replaced with higher-quality speakers, amplifiers and microphones. New software systems, the technology which supplies the on-screen information and controls the automated announcements have also been upgraded.

John Halsall, managing director Network Rail South East, said: “Feedback from passengers tells us that the difference between a good or bad journey experience can be the quality and usefulness of the service information they receive on platforms and at stations.

“This investment responds to passenger feedback and is already improving journeys for passengers at hundreds of stations."

Tracy Hall, Head of Customer Information at Govia Thameslink Railway, which operates Southern and Thameslink services, said: “The completion of this project marks the successful end of a two-and-a-half-year collaboration project with Network Rail. The upgraded screens offer passengers a more reliable channel with a clearer picture to review the latest travel information, bringing our customer information offering up-to-date.”

• On Southern, 536 new screens will benefit passengers at 157 stations.
• 145 station PA systems have been replaced; a total of 2350 speakers.
• On the Catford Loop, information systems at seven Thameslink stations have been upgraded.
• At Gatwick Airport Station, 86 screens have been replaced across all seven platforms.

Notes:

Network Rail telecom (NRT) is responsible for delivering communications capability such as dedicated communications between drivers and signallers today and track-to-train communications in the future. NRT is also responsible for assets such as level crossing telephones, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras and customer information screens in stations.

NRT provides the links that unite the railway, as it is the telecommunications capability that enables the operational railway and the business to run. NRT’s role is to help its key customers (the routes) provide more reliable and available services to their customers, the Train Operating Companies (TOCs), Freight Operating Companies (FOCs) and ultimately, passengers.