Staff safety and customer service will be boosted across Sydney’s rail network with the deployment of SafeZone, the safety, security and emergency management solution from CriticalArc. The technology will enable Sydney Trains to manage a wide range of situations, including mitigating risks to staff and customers and strengthening the capacity to respond to incidents and emergencies across the network. For example, SafeZone will put up to 2,500 of Sydney Trains’ front-line staff directly in touch with security control room teams, letting them summon immediate assistance at the touch of a button.
The investment in SafeZone will cover over 175 stations across the greater Sydney area and is the latest step in a modernisation drive to transform Sydney Trains’ operations, with more than a million customer journeys taken on the network every weekday.
SafeZone enables staff to call for assistance and receive optimised response at the touch of a button, via an assigned smartphone. This capability adds value for both crowded city platforms and remote suburban stations where staff may work alone.
‘Sydney Trains is committed to fulfilling its duty of care to all of our staff and enhancing its high safety standards in order to maintain and enrich customer service levels on station platforms,’ stated Mark Edmonds, Manager of Security Capability, Network Operations. ‘Employing proven technology such as SafeZone will help solve day-to-day challenges, further improving the safety of staff and helping them work more effectively to continue to deliver world-class service.’
Across its transportation network, Sydney Trains has real-time situational awareness, and a more complete picture of critical events. This makes possible a wide range of security management functions, such as sending targeted alerts to specific individuals and groups. It enables control room operators to pinpoint the location of individuals needing help so they can initiate the most efficient and rapid emergency response.