A reliable and flexible communications system
GB Railfreight (GBRf) needed a reliable and flexible communications system to maximise profits, meet regulations and maintain high levels of customer service.
IT Manager at GB Railfreight George Ford explains,
"When founder John Smith started the business from scratch in 1999, the company was viewed as revolutionary in the railfreight industry. His vision was simple – to provide an alternative to the traditional haulier – offering high quality, cost-effective freight services across the 11,000 miles of track in the United Kingdom.
A big part of the company’s success has been down to its people and how effectively they communicate on a daily basis. This is why our communications system is so vital to the smooth-running of our business."
"In 2010 we were acquired by EuroTunnel and this triggered the need to review our complete ICT infrastructure. We have over 6 sites in the UK and at the time these were connected at speeds of 2mbps or less which wasn’t ideal. Also our telephone system was an old digital system that was expensive to maintain. In order to operate we need a licence from the rail regulator, but in order to prepare a safety case, we needed to prove that the communications system for our Freight Control Centre was sufficiently robust. With over 200 train crews calling in every day this was becoming more difficult to do with our old system which was failing more regularly and was also difficult and expensive to support."