ScotRail formation and live loadings app

[mbreckers]

(I'm not sure what forum this would go in)

I may have made this up in my memory somewhere, but I'm sure that there was something in the Abellio ScotRail franchise that they have to create an app or something that will show passengers how services are formed, and provide live passenger loading information to passengers through the app.

Am I correct or was this just a figment of my imagination?

 

[47271]

(I'm not sure what forum this would go in)

I may have made this up in my memory somewhere, but I'm sure that there was something in the Abellio ScotRail franchise that they have to create an app or something that will show passengers how services are formed, and provide live passenger loading information to passengers through the app.

Am I correct or was this just a figment of my imagination?

I know what you mean, but this is what I specifically remember, dated 1 September 2015. Has anyone seen the outcome of this passenger counting equipment, app or otherwise? I'm not aware of anything myself.

http://www.transport.gov.scot/news/scotrail-unveils-first-40-new-look-trains

ScotRail unveils first of 40 new-look trains

ScotRail today unveiled the first of 40 new-look trains as part of a £14million modernisation project.

The new trains will deliver improved seating, better lighting, accessibility enhancements and at-seat power sockets for customers.

The two-carriage Class 158 trains will be painted in ScotRail’s 'Saltire' livery and receive revamped interiors including modern carpets, finishes and toilets.

The 137-seat trains will also be fitted with new CCTV systems and *automated passenger-counting systems.*

 

[mbreckers]

I have found this in the Invitation to Tender:

2.3.2 Introduction of passenger counting equipment

The Scottish Government wants accurate data on passenger loadings on train and crowding levels to inform decisions about pricing, capacity and future service levels. Bidders must demonstrate the capacity to supply data on passenger numbers alighting and boarding at each station, for each service. To achieve this they must fit passenger counting technology on a minimum of 30% of the vehicles operating on all service groups within the first 2 years of the ScotRail franchise, achieving an accuracy of 97% or better. Until this programme of fitment is complete, the Franchisee will be required to supplement electronic counts with a rolling programme of manual counts, to ensure provision of a representative sample of passenger loading for all train services and at stations in order to support planning decisions about pricing, capacity and future service levels.

The Franchisee will also be required to advise passengers of seating availability on incoming trains over the course of the ScotRail franchise. Bidders should therefore set out their proposals for introducing a system to advise passengers of such information within stations on busy routes where passengers may find some benefit from such assistance. As part of these proposals, Bidders may wish to consider the use of mobile phone technology and/or other electronic information systems, underpinned by the introduction of passenger counting technology on all the trains used on these routes. Bidders will be expected to commit to any such proposals as a Committed Obligation.

(http://www.transport.gov.scot/system/files/uploaded_content/documents/tsc_basic_pages/Rail/ScotRail%20franchise/scotrail-franchise-itt-4855286-45.pdf)

Hopefully that doesnt mean those awfully incorrect "is there a less busy train" posters.

And the Franchise Agreement has this:

8.4 Passenger Counting System
8.4.1 The Franchisee shall ensure that the Rolling Stock is fitted with a system to determine the number of passengers boarding and alighting to within an error of 3% and hence calculate the number of passengers on board (i.e. counters in passenger doorways, not a load weighing system). The system shall be fitted to a minimum of 30% of the Units.

8.4.2 The Franchisee shall ensure that the system correlates the information on the number of passengers with the time and last station at which the Train containing the Unit called and shall store such information for remote down loading.

8.4.3 The Franchisee shall ensure that it is possible for any single Unit, or group of Units (batch downloading), to transmit for off-line evaluation remotely and without intervention of Traincrew or maintenance staff.

8.5 Seating Availability System
8.5.1 From December 2018 the Franchisee will implement a live seating availability information system using a mobile phone application on the new EGIP and HLOS Rolling Stock.

doesn't really make clear if the mobile app in question is for passengers or staff. (anybody know what HLOS is?)

Suppose by December 2018 we will find out

 

[kkong]

(anybody know what HLOS is?)

High Level Output Specification, which are the objectives set by the Scottish Ministers for Network Rail to deliver.

In this context, the HLOS stock is that which will be used when the Dunblane/Alloa/Stirling services are converted to electric operation.

 

[anme]

NS (owners of Abellio) already have such a system on their home network in the Netherlands. I don't know exactly how it works, but it has live and predicted/historical information on service loadings, and details of the rolling stock. As far as I know, it works for all NS trains.

You can try it at www.ns.nl

 

[MisterT]

Even better: use the NS Reisplanner Xtra app. You can follow most of the trains in real time including their current position and speed (almost real time, the delay between the actual position and the position shown in the app is about 20 seconds).
The train formation, historical service loadings and punctuality (both based on the data from the past three months) are shown there too.