Not all stations are the same, so what applies at one station may not be suitable at another. However, the teams that know the assets and technical systems best are the engineers and asset managers within the NR Director of Engineering and asset Management (DEAM). They can give guidance and advice on focus areas when developing trial plans and how to implement them.
The station management team are experts on how projects are implemented and managed effectively in their environment. Having these teams work with you will provide invaluable technical and operational knowledge of the assets.
It is also vital to consult the town planning team (such as the Bristol Temple Quarter regeneration team at Bristol Temple Meads) to understand whether there are any significant stakeholder considerations that need to be managed through the process. Feeding into long-term transformation around the station may allow the station to become more embedded in the local community.
Many stations are likely to be considered as Critical National Infrastructure, and any trials or activities that take place in the station will need to demonstrate compliance to guidance and mandatory provisions – the route and the NR Safety, Technical and Engineering teams can assist with this.
At this point in the process the innovations to be tested remain unknown. By conducting this assessment now, rather than later, it contributes to understanding what can be trialled and will inform the scouting and selecting of innovations for trialling.
An assessment of the station’s operational infrastructure informs the setup of the SIZ in three ways:
- Informing which technologies can be tested as this is dependent on the station assets that are available to run trials.
- Identifying which data collection can take place before, during and after the SIZ trials for monitoring and evaluation.
- Informs which capabilities related to the challenge and the station need to be brought in.
This is an elaborate and detailed process, that requires members of station staff to be available to support. The process will be the led by the dedicated Testbed Manager and part of the steering group who should allocate sufficient time and attention to conducting the assessment.
Assessing the infrastructure and operations at the station can be seen as a gap analysis, as it helps to understand:
- The current physical, electrical and digital assets at the station
- Additional physical, electrical and digital assets to be installed
- Regulations, protocols and standards involved in installing physical and digital innovations.
Ensure that the assessment follows a clear structure as you collect the information. It will be used throughout the trialling phase and is likely to be referred to and updated at subsequent rounds of trialling. An example structure for assessment is shown on the right.
Worksheet Document title (PDF Link)
Link here
