Cisco
Innovative Technology for Today’s Smart Station
- This article first appeared in the Railway-News magazine Issue 2 2022.
Real-world challenges are being addressed with smart technology and trials are now underway at six major UK stations as part of an initiative from Network Rail Telecom – TSIP (Train and Station Innovation for Performance). Leeds, Reading, Euston, Glasgow, Manchester Piccadilly and Waterloo station are all contributing data and test environments.
Through vigorous use case testing, TSIP is accelerating the time to deployment for new digital, connected technologies. Working with innovative technology partners such as Intel, Cisco, Telent and others, Network Rail Telecom (NRT) is bringing compute power and connectivity to smart devices. So, what does this mean for your customers and your staff? How will technology change their travel experience or working environment? Let’s look at some of the changes TSIP technology is bringing.
Return of Crowds
Passengers want to feel safe when they travel and, in these post-COVID times, many people want to avoid crowded situations. Events such as concerts or football matches can lead to a build-up of passengers in certain zones. Major stations are using smart analytics, cameras, and sensors and, using the SiYtE service to monitor this and alert staff at the relevant time. This allows action to be taken quickly and relevant crowding plans put in place. For example, if crowds are building up around escalators station operators can configure escalators as ‘up’ or ‘down’ or redirect people to other routes.
Using historical data, the SiYtE service can then begin to deliver insights that can help predict and prevent certain events or issues.
