Network Rail and Tracsis: transforming rail safety planning

Network Rail has carved out an enviable reputation for running one of the most condensed and operationally complex rail networks in the world to extremely strict compliance standards.

Yet despite Great Britain’s railways consistently performing as some of the safest in Europe, Network Rail was concerned that maintenance was not being completed as safely and efficiently as it could be. They wanted to utilise technology to underpin an organisation-wide transformative change towards a pro-active rail maintenance safety culture.

Tracsis has been designing and implementing innovative technology to improve track worker safety for more than 15 years – we have more than 15,000 users across 160 organisations. Our experience working in partnership with leading rail operators has taught us that successful digital transformation is about much more than integrating new technology; it’s about listening carefully and collaborating effectively, setting clear and achievable goals, and, fundamentally, ensuring all stakeholders are along for the ride.

In close collaboration with Network Rail, we delivered a rail safety technology solution which not only dramatically improved rail safety for maintenance workers, resulting in a 99% reduction in unassisted red zone working and a 50%+ decrease in track worker near-misses, but also made pro-active safety planning easier and more efficient.

We slashed the amount of time that Network Rail workers had to spend on labour intense manual work, reducing frustration and task duplication. We made it easier for Network Rail teams to collaborate and work from the same information, reducing the risk of errors that could lead to rail safety incidents.

The economic bottom line: £10 million+ (US$13 million+) in estimated work bank efficiency savings.

The organisational bottom line: renewed employee confidence in Network Rail’s motto: “Everyone home safe every day”.

Find out more about our work with Network Rail: watch the video case study.

Tracsis worked with Network Rail for 18 months to design and implement a technology-driven solution to underpin a pro-active safety-first culture among rail maintenance teams, while delivering maximum ROI.

David Smith, Tracsis Strategic Account Director, explained that the project involved a deep understanding of the business change required to make sure the technology would deliver the maximum impact. “It was important that we juxtaposed the outcomes of not just a technology programme, but the wider programme itself to make sure that outcomes had driven safety in a way that Network Rail considered to be a success,” he said.

Tracsis worked closely with Network Rail and their stakeholders to ensure concerns and feedback were taken into account throughout the process.

“We optimise user experience, user interface, and human-centric design,” Mr Smith said. “Tracsis’ technology approach uses a configuration design philosophy, which enables us to act in an agile, nimble way; we can take our products and configure them rather than rely on complex, expensive, bespoke technology processes.

“This mix of configuration and customisation allows us to tailor our solutions to achieve both better rail safety and optimal business outcomes, maximising ROI.”

Network Rail required technology that would be easy to use and adapt for workers in different roles, and that could interface easily with 10 different data sources. It also had to be extremely secure, with resilience as standard.