Northern Rail has selected NOMAD Digital Limited (“Nomad”), the leading global provider of train-to-shore data connectivity solutions, to provide vehicle tracking capabilities to their Class 156 fleet.

Northern’s pilot project on the Middlesbrough to Whitby line aims to improve the provision of real time passenger information.  The line is a typical rural route, where limited train describer capability often means the exact train location is unknown and as such, accurate passenger information is difficult to provide. 

The solution will utilise Nomad’s R3200 router which will provide both GPS functionality and backhaul via 3G networks. The vehicle location information will be “consolidated” with train scheduling data before being provided to various external displays. As part of the trial new passenger screens will be installed at three stations on the Whitby line.

The ability to track the train’s location has special social significance for the Esk Valley line, as it is used by many school children in the morning and afternoon.  It also has a significant number of leisure passengers.  The information will provide the Northern operations team with precise vehicle location information to inform scheduling decisions.

Rob Warnes, Performance and Planning Director, Northern Rail said: “Northern is committed to improving the quality of the real time information we provide to passengers.  The Esk Valley line is typical of many on our network.  We’ll be working closely with our local partners to measure the success of this pilot.”

Nigel Wallbridge, Nomad’s Executive Chairman, said: “We are delighted to be working with Northern on a project that brings such real benefits to the local community. This project builds on the passenger information solutions we are deploying for others, like NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) in the Netherlands, and reinforces the multi-solution capability of our platforms.”  

Media: For further information, contact Carolyn Watson (Northern) on 01904 568670 and Maria Walker (Nomad) on 0207 096 6966 Ext 2083.