British operator Southeastern has become the first railway company in the UK to automatically notify passengers, at both the station and train levels, of planned changes to the train schedule. The new system was introduced following a GBP 260,000 investment in the company’s platform, which is used for displays, station announcements, and other digital information channels.
The upgrade allows for the display of customized messages for each affected service. Passengers can more clearly see if their train is leaving earlier, later, or if it has been canceled, without this information having to be prepared manually by the operator’s teams.
Information generated in seconds
Until now, producing this level of detail required a significant amount of manual work and was typically applied only to services whose schedules changed by at least two minutes. The new system automates the entire process, reducing the time needed to prepare information from several days to a few seconds and minimizing the risk of certain updates being overlooked.
Essentially, the system automatically compares train schedules, identifies changes, and generates clear messages for each affected train. At the same time, station reports are generated so that staff can respond more quickly to questions from passengers.
“When train schedules change, it’s essential that passengers can clearly see what’s different about their train. In the past, creating customized announcements and display messages for each affected service involved a huge manual effort, with the inevitable risk that some details would be overlooked,” said John Till, Head of Passenger Information at Southeastern.
He added that the new system can be used not only by Southeastern but also across the broader British rail network. “Now we can do this automatically, quickly, and consistently—not just for Southeastern, but in a way that benefits passengers across the entire rail network. It’s a real change in how train service information is provided and is in line with our principle: ‘if we know, you know,’” said John Till.
Useful in the Event of Disruptions
The system can automatically import new or temporary schedules during periods of disruption, so passengers receive accurate information more quickly when issues such as severe weather or last-minute changes arise.
The upgrade is part of a broader program to modernize Southeastern’s passenger information systems. The operator claims that explanations for delayed trains are now clearer, cancellations are identified more quickly, and platform information has been improved to reduce the risk of passengers waiting in the wrong part of the platform.
To this end, station screens now display a message two minutes before the train’s arrival, instructing passengers to move to the correct platform if necessary. At departure stations, the displays also show the real-time location of the train due to arrive, as well as the estimated time of arrival.
Another change addresses situations where live data feeds are no longer working. Instead of the displays reverting to a generic “delayed” message, the system retains the last known estimate, which provides passengers with more useful information.
The system could also be used by other operators
The upgrade was carried out in collaboration with Worldline, the provider of the Customer Information System used by Southeastern. The platform manages station screens and announcements and enables the distribution of information through other digital channels as well.
The new system is already active across the entire Southeastern network and will be automatically made available to other rail operators using Worldline’s CIS system. According to the British operator, the technology has the potential to improve passenger information across the entire UK rail industry.
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