Improving operations at KeolisAmey Docklands: Case Study

Introduction

Improving operations: A joint venture between Keolis and Amey operates and maintains the Docklands Light Railway (DLR). In common with all railways, it occupies a vast area of land which makes staff reporting and auditing slow and imprecise. The introduction of SIRV addresses these problems.

The Story of KeolisAmey Docklands

Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automatic light metro system to  serve the east, south and north of central London. It has around 150 trains and 45 stations. As the network expands so do passenger numbers. Over 115 million journeys are made every year (pre-pandemic).

History of success

In 2014 KeolisAmey won the Transport for London concession to run the DLR network. Since then, the joint venture has been a success, with many awards:

• London Transport Awards in March 2018
• Rail Business Awards in February 2019
• Global Light Rail Awards in October 2019

DLR trains do not need drivers. Passenger Service Agents manage them.

The challenge facing KeolisAmey

To manage trains across a network is a test but so too is the management of staff. To verify security checks are made across 45 stations is a challenge. For example, a supervisor could spend all day calling every staff member to confirm tasks are complete. As a result, KeolisAmey required a quick and easy way to automate proof of presence. Their outsourced facilities management recommended SIRV.

Proof of presence before the introduction of SIRV

To confirm an area is clean or a security sweep is complete can be critical to an operation. However, in person inspections and audits are expensive. As a result, KeolisAmey used legacy technology such as handheld touch readers to prove staff had visited locations. But these are:

• Slow to send information
• Limited in scope and offer only a proof of presence feature

KeolisAmey wanted a solution to provide real-time information and more.

Since 2015 SIRV has recorded over 1,500,000 locations across the DLR network.

Improving operations: Why SIRV

SIRV was selected by KeolisAmey because it:

Quickly locates staff

SIRV uses a smartphone’s GPS and NFC features to evidence the whereabouts of staff. This information is sent across the phone’s mobile network to provide real-time information.

If the phone loses its signal then the SIRV app will store data until connection is made. This is a very useful feature because DLR runs both over and underground.

Leads the industry

Over half the UK’s top security providers use SIRV. 

Offers additional features

New technology disrupts a workforce. It takes time and effort to onboard new suppliers, train staff and build confidence. Therefore, once a product is introduced it’s great if it can be used for lots of things. SIRV is attractive because it’s a flexible report platform with many uses.

 ‘SIRV is a flexible reporting platform’

Alisa Sultmane, Head of Network Security and Delivery

How KeolisAmey used SIRV

SIRV’s proof of presence feature is a big improvement on touch readers. However, to record thousands of locations results in a lot of data. Therefore, KeolisAmey asked SIRV to build a simple proof of presence dashboard.

SIRV standard dashboard

Operational dashboards are great for seeing day-to-day activity. However, it only provides a snapshot in time. If one needs to review events going back months or years, then analytics is helpful.

Analytics

SIRV’s analytics gives a view of activity over time. For example, it shows events from three years ago, where it happened and who recorded it. These results are provided in seconds. This is great if a defence against a legal claim is necessary. For example, a slip, trip or fall claim.

Expansion

Staff found SIRV reliable and simple. As a result, its use now includes:

• Incident, fault and audit reports. Message and daily occurrence log for security.
• Track and audit assets for visual display.
• Proof of presence and Incident reports for cleaning.

Improving Operations: The Results

SIRV eliminates paper. As a result, it supports KeolisAmey’s sustainability goals. For example, 500,000 sheets of A4 paper are no longer necessary. That’s enough to fill one third of a DLR train carriage!