Project Overview
TransPennine Express plays a vital role in connecting major cities across Northern England, supporting millions of journeys every year between destinations like Newcastle, York, Leeds, Hull, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool.
Since 2017, Aureos has been delivering Station Information and Security System (SISS) renewals across the TransPennine Express estate, modernising critical passenger information, communication and security systems at 19 stations. The programme has improved the reliability of customer-facing technology, enhanced station operations and created a more maintainable infrastructure for the future.
Sector:
Digital
Region:
Yorkshire & Humberside
Service:
Customer Information System upgrades
Client:
TransPennine Express (FirstGroup)
The Challenge
TransPennine Express needed to upgrade a range of ageing systems across multiple operational railway environments while maintaining day-to-day services for passengers.
The existing infrastructure included customer information systems, public address equipment, passenger help points and security assets that required modernisation to improve performance, reliability and long-term maintainability. At the same time, the programme needed to be delivered across a geographically dispersed station portfolio, each with its own operational constraints and stakeholder requirements.
Several locations also required careful management of landlord approvals and listed building consents, adding an additional layer of complexity to the project.
Our Solution
Aureos delivered a fully integrated solution, managing every stage of the programme from design and planning through to installation, testing, commissioning and handback.
Working across telecoms, electrical and civils disciplines, our team coordinated the development, construction and configuration of new station systems while ensuring compliance with operational railway standards and stakeholder requirements. We also managed landlord consents, listed building approvals and systems integration activities to provide a seamless delivery programme across all sites.
A major part of the project involved upgrading Customer Information Systems (CIS) at 19 stations. Existing displays were replaced with modern technology capable of providing passengers with live, accurate and consistent travel information. New main information boards were installed at Manchester Airport, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield, significantly enhancing the customer experience at these key locations.
The programme also included the replacement of legacy public address systems. Aureos installed new ASL public address control equipment, associated head-end hardware and cabling infrastructure to improve reliability and operational capability. Radio microphones were introduced to allow wireless operation of station announcements, giving staff greater flexibility when communicating with passengers.
Passenger Help Points were modernised to provide a more reliable service for customers. By introducing a central monitoring system at Manchester Bridgewater House, Aureos enabled assets across the network to be managed remotely, improving response times and reducing system downtime.
Ongoing Maintenance and Asset Management
Following the successful delivery of the renewals programme, Aureos was appointed to provide ongoing maintenance and asset management services for TransPennine Express.
Today, our team delivers a 24/7 support service across all 19 franchised TPE stations, covering Customer Information Systems, Public Address systems, Passenger Help Points, CCTV, train mass detector systems, network switches, customer awareness screens, radio microphones and associated cabling infrastructure.
Preventative maintenance is carried out on a planned basis twice each year to maximise system performance and reduce the likelihood of unplanned outages. Reactive support is available around the clock through a dedicated helpdesk, allowing faults to be reported by phone, email or online portal. This proactive approach helps minimise downtime and ensures critical passenger information and security systems remain fully operational.
Continued Partnership
Through the successful delivery of renewals, maintenance and ongoing technology upgrades, Aureos continues to support TransPennine Express in providing a safer, more reliable and better-connected railway for passengers across Northern England.