26 July 2012
Capita Symonds’ Innovations team has been appointed
by the Department for Transport to design, develop, implement and
manage a Rail Passenger Counts Database (RPCD).
The £1.9m contract comprises the development
of a new database for the collation, management and reporting of
rail passenger figures for 23 train operating companies which have
contracts with the DfT. It includes an initial development phase of
up to 12 months followed by a further four years of hosting and
support by the Capita Symonds team.
The RPCD Solution will provide an important
insight into the usage and volumes of passenger traffic across the
rail network. By identifying ‘hotspots’ and trends, expenditure on
the network can be targeted more effectively. Although the counts
will initially be made up of automated counting mechanisms and
manual count data, the data quality will improve over time as all
new rolling stock will soon be required to have automated passenger
counting mechanisms installed.
Capita Symonds is also working on a number of
other transport data system projects including the Highways Agency
Traffic Information System (HATRIS) and the Highways Agency’s
Technology Performance Management Service (TPMS).
Andy Wall, Director – Innovations, Capita
Symonds, said: “This is a great win for the team which is based
upon the DfT’s confidence in our ability to deliver complex
projects of this nature in a timely and cost effective manner. This
project gives Capita Symonds a high profile software development
project within the DfT and it is an excellent opportunity to
demonstrate our capabilities by ensuring a successful and timely
delivery.”