Digital Railway and Resonate have unveiled plans to modernise the western route of the UK rail network by installing a digital platform that will deliver greater capacity for passengers while reducing delays and enhancing customer experience.
The Luminate traffic management solution will be deployed between Bristol and London Paddington and will oversee 100 million passenger journeys per year, on a route spanning 430km. The project will go-live during June 2018.
The system will use historical and real-time data to predict the benefit of activating different traffic flow strategies and will enable the greatest possible volume of journeys.
Crucially, the Luminate software will limit the impact of disruption by interfacing with 2,850 signalling objects and 62 stations in order to calculate the most efficient and achievable contingency options.
Studies carried out on the route by Resonate show that the introduction of Luminate TM technology could reduce delays by up to 2,250 hours per annum. The interactive platform will also drive improvements in the areas of proactive network maintenance and customer information.
Digital Railway CEO David Waboso believes that digital traffic management will be a key component in a dynamic modernisation strategy designed to deliver strong performance on the Western Route.
Waboso said: “The route is receiving one of the most comprehensive updates ever, including electrification, new tracks and upgraded stations. In association with these measures, the introduction of digital traffic management will bring us a better performing railway with better-informed passengers”.