Network Rail Property digital programme gains industry system integrator

The engineering services and nuclear company will take on a system integrator role over the next three years to manage and upgrade the digital architecture of Network Rail’s property division, including lease management, data analysis, point of sale and digital asset management. With 600,000 square feet of prime retail space across major towns and cities, Network Rail Property manages a significant and complex portfolio comprising 19 of the UK’s largest and most iconic stations along with 39,000 properties, 78,000 rental spaces, and 9,000 tenants.

AtkinsRéalis will be responsible for delivering a comprehensive programme of digital solutions, including running a sophisticated Property Digital Hub which provides end-to-end management of the entire property portfolio. The company will introduce innovative technologies, such as upgrading the retail customer footfall and heatmapping system which provides insights into station usage patterns of the 700 million people who use Network Rail’s destination stations annually. Additionally, the programme encompasses the procurement and management of critical IT systems that will support Network Rail’s property operations.

Hamish Kiernan, Commercial Director, Network Rail Property, said: “We’re committed to delivering positive experiences not only for our passengers and customers, but also for our partners. Working with AtkinsRéalis, we will be able to drive efficiencies and increase revenue which is reinvested back into the railway. The new systems and processes we will develop together will bring significant improvements for our tenants, and enable us to work simpler and better”.

Colette Carroll, AtkinsRéalis Managing Director for Transportation in the UK, said: “Network Rail is always seeking ways to maximise the value of its property portfolio to deliver positive experiences to both retailers and passengers, and robust digital systems and informative data are essential to this goal. Our appointment builds on our longstanding relationship with Network Rail and recognises our unique ability to integrate engineering, asset management, and digital delivery in passenger environments with safety considerations. We look forward to helping Network Rail evolve its property management systems and data to meet the future needs of its customers.”

Drawing on extensive experience in asset management, including previous work with critical infrastructure such as Heathrow, AtkinsRéalis will bring scalable innovation and draw on its international capabilities for Network Rail Property. This represents AtkinsRéalis’ first opportunity to manage digital systems for a digital property portfolio of this magnitude.

Network Rail’s Property Digital Programme aims to support its vision of creating “Destination Stations” by implementing operational, technological, financial, and process improvements to generate new and increased revenue while maintaining the highest safety standards.