29.06.16
Darwin expanded to replace TOC and NR customer information systems
The rail industry’s central train running information engine, Darwin, has now replaced 66 separate customer information systems (CIS), operated by train operators and Network Rail, with one single system delivering consistency to the information provided to customers.
The Darwin CIS Project represents an investment of £9m, funded by the National Stations Improvement Programme, and is part of the industry’s strategy to improve customer information.
The Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said the new system will ensure customers see the same live information however they choose to look for it: online, via an app, from station staff or on station screens.
All of Britain’s rail stations that have CIS information screens installed, approximately 1,600 or two-thirds of the national total, will be covered by the harmonised system.
All TOCs and Network Rail have been involved with the project, replacing their own systems with the new national information feed. The RDG noted that While CrossCountry, Grand Central and Hull Trains do not operate any of their own stations, the new system means that better management of train information at stations is possible for all train operators.
Jacqueline Starr, managing director for customer experience at the RDG, said: “Our customers tell us that they want better information, especially when services are disrupted, and this project is an important step towards addressing that need.
“Many rail passengers will be familiar with the panic that sets in when they are waiting for a train and the screen on the station platform tells them one thing but the app on their phone says another. The improvements we're making today should bring an end to those moments.
“Being able to trust the origin of information on the railway is crucial for customers so that they can make the best decisions about their journeys. We know that we haven’t always got it right in the past, but we hope this change will make life that bit easier for our passengers.”
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