UK: Alstom says it has achieved a 30% reduction in the time taken up by administrative tasks for the Cambridge resignalling scheme by using EviFile’s data collection and management software, and it expects to increase this to between 50% and 60% in the future.
The deployment of EviFile software on the Cambridge scheme follows a successful trial on a cable recovery project at London Paddington during March, and is to be followed by a wider roll-out across all Alstom projects in the UK.
Reduction in admin time
Earlier this year, Network Rail awarded Alstom a £130m contract covering design, delivery and commissioning works for the £194m Cambridge area resignalling programme, the largest contract to be awarded under the Major Signalling Framework Agreement during the current five-year Control Period 6.
EviFile is being used to create a library of signalling information for use across 20 to 25 projects within the programme, which covers the replacement of nearly 700 life-expired assets on 200 track-km.
EviFile is ‘completely changing the way supervisors work’, said Karl Fulcher, UK installation manager at Alstom.
‘Historically we’ve struggled to make the move to a digital system, but the penny is starting to drop. The clear benefit of being able to track and audit works easily from anywhere, on one central system with digital photo-based evidence, shows the guys on the ground that it’s time to remove traditional processes and digitise. There is no limit to what we can do with EviFile.’
User experience
EviFile Managing Director Luke Allen said ’the key for Alstom was the user experience and ensuring this is as easy and seamless as possible. It’s no secret in the rail industry that digitisation has been slow and some attitudes towards technology are hard to change. Many felt the system wasn’t broken, so they didn’t need to fix it.
‘But EviFile was able to aid buy-in by creating a simple system specifically catered to this project, that everyone could pick up and start using from the get-go with an easy-to-use mobile application, with basic training.’
