UK Railways Pick GlobalX for VPN

LONDON -- Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC) has been awarded a 10-year contract to provide the UK rail sector with an industry-wide managed IP VPN service in support of the National Reservations Service used by all 25 train operating companies (TOC).

The contract has been awarded by Rail Settlement Plan Ltd (RSP) to support the passenger reservation application operated by systems integrator, Cap Gemini Ernst and Young (CGEY). This makes Global Crossing the only telecoms provider to link all train operating companies and their business partners over a single, seamless IP VPN platform.

The VPN service is fully managed by Global Crossing and is fundamental to RSP in ensuring a successful transition to the new reservations system in the short term and evolving the use of this IP platform throughout the life cycle of the 10-year contract.

Train operators access the National Reservations Service (NRS) overnight to extract information on bookings and review their overall inventory position. During the day the NRS application runs behind ticket issuing machines nationally and at outlets such as station offices and travel agents to establish availability and book seats or sleeper berths. In all, the NRS will process an estimated 40 million reservations a year and 120 million enquires, including those made through online booking systems such as thetrainline.com.

John Legere, Global Crossing's CEO, said: "The IP service we are providing RSP is the network of the future for the rail sector. Global Crossing's experience in designing, implementing, and managing complex managed networking solutions within the rail environment means we were perfectly placed to fully address RSP's requirements Our track record in rail transportation enabled us to beat stiff competition as part of the formal European procurement process."

RSP chief executive, Antony Lain, said: "The National Reservations Service is pivotal to the efficient running and provision of rail passenger services in the UK, including reservations, inquiries, journey planning and retailing Global Crossing's managed IP VPN solution for NRS will permit all inter-related services to operate, thus enabling RSP to continue to provide train operating company and passenger benefit."

Global Crossing has long experience as a provider of managed voice and data services to the UK rail sector. Crucial access to the local distribution infrastructure that links the rail community and the number of pre-existing rail customers for managed data services, were dominant factors in winning this strategic contract. Global Crossing also operates Railnet, a fully managed voice private network supporting more than 65,000 rail users.

With much of Global Crossing's extensive UK network structured around the railway, most rail companies are within close proximity to a point of presence. The extensive reach of this network allowed a rapid deployment to meet project timescales and met RSP's criteria for a "value for money" service.

RSP is part of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC), which was formed by train operating companies at the time of railway privatisation. The association provides its members with a range of services that enable them to comply with their franchise agreements and operating licenses. These include the National Rail Enquiries services and RSP, which has responsibility for the effective operation of the fare systems and ticket types offered by train operators. RSP also oversees the revenue sharing between operators of £4 billion in annual rail fares.

The NRS has to take into account that a long-distance train journey may cross different rail franchises and also provides TOCs with a revenue management facility. The fare applicable to a particular route is determined by time of day and how far in advance the ticket is booked. It also enables TOCs to meet their obligations to accommodate the traveling requirements of the disabled by suggesting at the time of booking the facilities a departure and destination station may be able to offer, such as lifts or ramps. The NRS is also linked to systems integrators that operate other rail applications, such as the Rail Journey Information Service (RJIS) and the applications that manage the national timetable and international rail connections.

The IP VPN will link more than 40 sites to CGEY's data center in Bristol from where the NRS is hosted. A quarter of the sites were connected in early March against tight deadlines. The first train operators to be connected to the IP VPN were Virgin Trains, GNER, South West Trains and Scotrail. The managed IP VPN service has both the flexibility and scalability to meet RSP's evolving requirements over a decade. The IP VPN is integrated with Global Crossing's existing rail telecoms infrastructure and protocols, and will provide network reliability, continuity and security for the industry at large.

Under the contract, Global Crossing will provide full CPE and core network management as well as flexible access options and multiple service levels to match the varying needs of the rail companies. There will be full interoperability between the IP VPN and existing network technology and equipment in use by rail operators and their partner companies and suppliers to minimise disruption and cost.

Global Crossing Holdings Ltd.