Connectivity
LNER introduced a mobile point-of-sale
(PoS) solution to its trains in July 2018 and is
rolling it out across its new fleet in 2019.
It uses mobile RailPoS software from ECR and
the contract covers 216 new Go2 handheld
mobile devices. These replace the previous
system, which relied on tablets in the food bar
and handheld terminals on the trolleys. It also
encompasses a cloud-based operation and
Miura M010 integral pin entry devices, which
allow LNER to offer all payment types, including
contactless and mobile wallet transactions.
“We needed to speed up onboard sales
throughout our trains, and to offer support
to our crews from the food bar to the trolley
as well as in first class,” says Kate Davidson,
business transition manager at LNER. “Offering
contactless payments to our passengers
on a handheld device was essential, along
with a more accurate view of stock and
sales to maximise profitability. We have been
working effectively with the ECR team for
some time now, and we are delighted that our
RIGHT: Virgin Trains
became the first
train operator to sell
its tickets through
Amazon Alexa in 2018
Railway Interiors International ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2019 28
new, personalised MPoS system is already
performing well. The ability to maintain control
over revenue reporting and management is
a key value of the new system that will help
us run the route efficiently and provide
maximum customer satisfaction.”
The backhaul benefit
Another way rail operators can benefit from
connectivity is in working with mobile network
operators (MNOs) to collaborate on the roll-out
of 5G technology. One of the most expensive
parts of building a mobile network is acquiring
the land for the towers and digging up the
land between the towers to connect new ones
to the existing fibre optic telephone network.
Railways have a lot of land, on which they
need many mobile network nodes to connect
their speeding trains.
The synergy is clear: if rail operators work
with MNOs they can help them build networks
across the countryside at a low cost and get
the level of connectivity needed to offer 4G
and 5G to passengers. In return, MNOs get
a much-expanded network and can also tap
into existing networking built by rail operators
to add more capacity. All this means that
connectivity in trains should improve vastly
in the coming years.
According to
Kinetic’s research,
commuter commerce
accounts for 14%
of annual online
spending in the UK
VOICE COMMERCE
Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home and
Apple’s HomeHub are shaking up what
it means to interact with the web. Rail
operators are starting to look at what
this technology can deliver.
In May 2018, a new skill was
launched for Amazon Alexa that saw
Virgin Trains become the first train
operator to sell its tickets through
the platform. The collaboration allows
travellers to book advance single
tickets and organise their trips with one
voice-based transaction via an Alexaenabled
Amazon device. Payment is
completed through Amazon Pay.
“With Alexa and Amazon Pay,
Virgin Trains customers can now
search, select and buy train tickets
entirely through voice,” says Giulio
Montemagno, director of Amazon Pay
EU. “This is a first-of-a-kind service that
will make it easier than ever to find and
book the ticket you want, even when
you’re busy doing something else – all
you need to do is ask Alexa.”