Improving Incident Response on Network Rail’s West Coast South Route with RAPPORT

Customer

Network Rail – West Coast South Route

Solution

RAPPORT – Real-time operational intelligence and incident response platform.

The Challenge

The West Coast South (WCS) route is one of the busiest sections of the UK rail network, supporting high-density passenger and freight operations across a complex infrastructure environment.

Control teams responsible for managing incidents across the route faced several operational challenges:

• Limited real-time visibility of train locations
• Heavy reliance on verbal communication and manual processes
• Duplicate data entry across multiple operational systems
• Difficulty identifying precise track locations and access points during incidents

These challenges could slow response times and make coordination between control teams, infrastructure staff and emergency services more difficult during disruption events.

The Solution

Network Rail deployed RAPPORT, a digital operational intelligence platform developed by Incremental Solutions.

RAPPORT integrates multiple operational data sources into a single system to provide a real-time operational picture for control teams.

Key capabilities include:

• Real-time train positioning using GPS and operational data feeds
• Intelligent location search to rapidly identify track locations and access points
• Structured incident reporting to reduce manual data entry
• Single point of data entry for operational information

This enables operators to capture information once and reuse it across operational workflows, improving accuracy and reducing duplication.

Implementation

RAPPORT was deployed across the West Coast South route as part of an operational trial to demonstrate its ability to support control teams managing incidents and service disruption.

The implementation included:

• Integration of GPS data feeds from multiple train operators
• Deployment of RAPPORT within route control environments
• Operational testing and validation
• Training for control room staff

This allowed Network Rail to evaluate the platform within a live operational railway environment.

Results

The West Coast South deployment delivered measurable operational improvements:

Faster incident identification
Improved train positioning and infrastructure intelligence enabled teams to identify and locate incidents more quickly.

Improved situational awareness
Control teams gained a real-time operational view of train movements across the route.

Reduced manual workload
Structured workflows reduced duplication of data entry across systems.

Better operational coordination
A single operational platform improved communication between teams responding to incidents.

Customer Perspective

“RAPPORT provides control teams with a real-time operational view that significantly improves our ability to locate incidents quickly and coordinate response activities across the route.”

Network Rail Route Operations Manager

The Impact

The West Coast South trial demonstrated how digital operational intelligence platforms such as RAPPORT can support faster, more efficient incident response across complex railway networks.

By combining real-time train data, infrastructure intelligence and structured workflows, RAPPORT provides the foundation for a modern, data-driven control environment across Network Rail routes.