A traffic management system has gone live in south Wales to help operators manage the timetable - reducing delays for passengers and freight operators.

The Thales ARAMIS system helps more than 300 trains a day. It provides real-time enhanced data to operators, flags potential conflicts and helps train running controllers proactively manage services.

It minimises the knock-on delays that can cause widespread disruption after an incident and allows real time re-planning so services can quickly return to normal.
It’s part of our Digital Railway strategy to use technology to help provide better and more journeys as demand for train services continues to rise.
Rail passenger numbers are forecast to grow by about 40% by 2040. By the mid-2030s there will be an extra one billion journeys on the railway.

Enabling better decision making

The implementation in Wales is an Operational Decision Support Tool (ODST), which is an isolated system. It helps operators manually intervene and make informed decisions rather than being directly linked to the signalling control systems.

Bill Kelly, route managing director for Network Rail in Wales and Borders, said:

We understand that delays are frustrating for passengers and unplanned disruption can have a real impact on people’s daily lives.
When incidents do occur, getting the service back to normal as quickly and safely as possible for passengers is a top priority. The traffic management system supports our people in doing this.

A similar deployment of the Thales ARAMIS system is being introduced on the Anglia route between Fenchurch Street and Shoeburyness. This will be fully operational in the spring and controlled from the Upminster signalling centre.

(Source: Network Rail)