Sydney Trains, the body that runs the rail network in the Australian city, is deploying safety, security and emergency management software. It’s for Sydney Trains to manage a range of situations, whether mitigating risks to staff and customers or adding to the capacity to respond to incidents. For example, SafeZone – from the Australian firm CriticalArc – will put up to 2,500 of Sydney Trains’ front-line staff in touch with security control rooms, letting them summon assistance at the touch of a button.
SafeZone will cover 175 stations across the greater Sydney area. The software enables staff to call for assistance via their assigned smartphone, whether on crowded city platforms at rush-hour or on more remote suburban stations where staff may be working alone at night.
Mark Edmonds, Manager of Security Capability, Network Operations, pictured, said: “Sydney Trains is committed to fulfilling our duty of care to all of our staff and enhancing our high safety standards in order to maintain and enrich customer service levels on station platforms. Employing proven technology such as SafeZone will help us solve day-to-day challenges, further improving the safety of our staff and helping them work more effectively to continue to deliver world-class service.”
Across its network, Sydney Trains will now have real-time situational awareness, and a more complete picture of critical events. This makes possible security management functions such as sending targeted alerts to specific people and groups. It enables control room operators to pinpoint location of individuals asking for help.
Glenn Farrant, CEO, CriticalArc adds: “This visionary deployment by Sydney Trains will have a significant impact on the safety and wellbeing of staff and thus will produce dividends with regards to customer service and satisfaction, and the potential for streamlined operations moving forward. With staff safety a primary concern for all rail operators internationally, implementation of this technology by Sydney Trains represents a significant step forward for the sector and will be the blueprint for many implementations to follow.”
Visit www.criticalarc.com.
