National Express East Anglia

Keeping track on the trains

PageOne provides a streamlined system for train company’s communications

• National Express East Anglia turns to PageOne to co-ordinate its paging services.
• PageOne’s wide coverage provides an integrated messaging system for the whole region.
• Messages communicate vital train operating information to staff.

Integrating communications was a key challenge when the train operator National Express East Anglia, previously called ‘one’ was formed to operate a new franchise.

Set up in April 2004, its aim was to provide a streamlined rail service across the East of England to Liverpool Street, London. It brought together services previously provided by Anglia Railways, First Great Eastern, the West Anglia part of the WAGN operation and Stanstead Express, to deliver one integrated rail network for the region.

With all three companies using different communication systems, the new franchise turned to PageOne to co-ordinate its paging services.

Current operations manager Matthew Dickerson explained: “Our integration plans meant we had to find a paging system that suited all our requirements. PageOne had a wide coverage area and came up with a solution that met those needs.”

The pagers are used by over 850 station staff and conductors as a highly effective way of communicating and receiving train-running information. From its central control office near Liverpool Street, called the Anglia Integrated Control Centre (AICC), National Express East Anglia gathers operating information from a wide range of sources.

Details about cancellations, alterations, service disruptions, delays, changes to catering arrangements or anything else that affects the train services are logged and passed on to staff.

“Our system connects to other transport operators, National Rail enquiries, radio stations, London Underground and other train operating companies. We send information to these sites so that they can help inform our customers about any potential disruption to their journey,” said Matthew. “PageOne allows us to create messages to send to the appropriate pager group.

“We have pager groups for each part of the East Anglia route and paging is a very cost effective and efficient way of getting information to the right staff quickly so that they can react and respond to “make travel simpler” for our customers.”

PageOne Connect also provides the flexibility the train company needs to keep managers in touch and informed at all times. Using its Connect service, the control centre can send out messages to its on call management team, senior managers and business directors.

“It gives us the flexibility to manage that address group and make changes when people are on call or on holiday,” explained Matthew. “It is a great way of keeping our management team in touch and up to date with what is going across the service.

“We use it to pass on information about response times, train crew issues, personal business information, current performance, other operators service news, latest news from Network Rail – anything really that they need to know to help them in their roles and to support our front line staff.

“It’s all part of the integrated approach we have to services in the East of England and PageOne plays an important role in helping us to carry out our operations as efficiently and effectively as possible.”