IT that works where there is no office
In rail the work happens outside: trackside, in a yard, in a depot or on a train. IT has to travel with it, and that is a different question from an office workplace. We set it up so an engineer on the track has their job in hand, even where the network is not what it is at the office.
The work is outside and the paperwork is inside
The distance between those two is where most of the time and most of the errors sit in this sector.
Working in rail means working in a chain with many parties: an infrastructure manager, operators, contractors and maintenance firms, wrapped in a system of permits, safety rules and possession windows. The work itself often happens at night, inside a few hours of possession, and those hours cannot be extended. What goes wrong inside them slides to another night.
For IT that means two things. First, the information has to travel outside: which job, which location, which safety arrangements, which parts. Second, what happens outside has to come back into the records without anybody retyping it later, because that retyping step is exactly where hours and measurements get lost.
Connectivity is not a given here
Trackside, in a tunnel or in a yard there is not always coverage. An application that only works with a connection is not an application there but a risk. So we choose equipment and a setup that carries on offline and synchronises once there is coverage again, and we test that where it is used rather than at the office.
What we do not do is manage the infrastructure technology itself: signalling, interlocking and train control are a world of their own with their own suppliers and their own approvals. We manage the IT around it, and where there is an interface we make sure the agreements are recorded rather than that it happens to work out.
Safety, and the paperwork around it
In this sector demonstrability is part of the work. Who was allowed to work where, what certification did that person hold, what briefing was given and what equipment was used. Those questions come from a client or a regulator, and they come at a moment you are not waiting for them. We set up the recording so the answer comes out of the system and not out of somebody’s memory.
What we take on in a rail environment
You choose what you need. It all falls under one contract, one report and one point of contact.
- Equipment that works outsideTablets and phones that take rain, dust and gloves, with a battery that lasts a night shift and a replacement device ready rather than on order.
- Working without a connectionApplications that carry on offline and synchronise once there is coverage, tested where they are used and not only at the office.
- Outside and inside joined upWhat is recorded on the track reaches the records without retyping, including hours, parts used and photographs.
- Access by role and by certificationAccounts follow the job and the validity of the required papers, with immediate closure when permanent or contracted staff leave.
- Cover outside office hoursWork happens at night and at weekends. The response time should reflect that and not the office hours in which the problem does not occur.
- Records that stand up to scrutinyWho was allowed to do what, when and with which equipment, kept in a way that handles an audit or a client’s question.
How we take over a rail environment
In this order, because a surprise during the handover here costs a possession and not an afternoon.
Walk along during a shift
On the track and in the depot, preferably at night. What an application is worth shows there and not in a demo at the office.
Map the chain and the windows
Which parties supply which information, which systems hang together and inside which windows work may happen. That decides where we start.
Agree response times on the real hours
What is critical during a disruption and which cover belongs with it. That goes into an SLA in plain language, with 24/7 where work happens at night.
Adjust on what we see
The reporting shows faults, turnaround times and recurring causes per shift and per location. Those figures exist to make the work outside easier.
The services that come up most here
These building blocks come up most in a rail environment.
Looking further
Recognise the picture but work in another industry? Then look at the other sectors.
Questions we get about this
The ones that come up most, answered briefly.
Does it work in places without coverage?
We design for that. Applications used trackside should carry on offline and synchronise once there is coverage again. We test that where it is used and not in a demo at the office, because coverage is always good there.
Do you manage signalling and train control as well?
No. Signalling, interlocking and train control are a world of their own with their own suppliers and their own approvals. We manage the corporate IT around it, and where there is an interface we record the agreements rather than trusting it works out.
Is there cover during a night possession?
Yes, and that is why we ask about it before drafting an SLA. Work in this sector happens at night and at weekends, and a response time that only covers office hours covers exactly the hours in which the problem does not occur.
Tell us what has to work outside
Name the work that happens trackside, the windows it has to fit into and the records it has to reach. We build the equipment, the cover and the record-keeping around that.