NORTHERN RAIL SELECTS PARKEON FOR TVM INVESTMENT

Poole(Dorset)-based Parkeon has won a contract with Northern Rail, the train operator serving Britain’s biggest rail region, to supply a new suite of Ticket Vending Machines (TVM). Following a competitive tender, the company has signed a framework agreement with Parkeon for supply of its latest Astreo and Galexio TVM technology, with the first machines due to be in place by the end of this year. The contract, with potentially a seven-figure value, covers installation of TVMs in stations across an area stretching from the east to the west coast of England. Parkeon was selected having participated in a successful trial of their on-platform technology in the Leeds area. “We have been impressed by the results of a pilot we ran to prove the value of TVM technology to our retail operations,” says Jamie Burles, Northern Rail’s Commercial Director. “Our customers liked the ease of use and speed of transaction. As a result, we will now be extending our TVM network with a view to adding machines to around 90 stations as part of our future investment plans.” The Northern Rail order signifies a UK rail breakthrough for Parkeon, who entered the market last year with a range of new TVMs. The Astreo is a high capacity touch-screen TVM with cash and card functionality and wave and pay and ITSO capability. It is ideally suited to high ticket volume environments, while the smaller footprint Galexio provides a card-only solution for lighter demand stations. Paul Moirano, UK Rail Sales Director for Parkeon, said that the contract underlined the market demand for secure but flexible ticketing technology. “Business models increasingly take account of multiple retail channels - and on-platform, self service and fulfilment facilities are not only adding value financially, they are also improving the customer experience through transaction speed and convenience.” Although the Northern Rail contract is its first such order in the UK, Parkeon is a leading supplier and integration partner for rail operations across Europe, notably in France where the company works closely with SNCF and RATP. In addition, its ticketing technology is at the heart of major multi-modal public transport projects in Belfast, Perth and Melbourne, where Parkeon systems are operating on rail, bus, ferry and tram, and the company is specified in every major ITSO project in Britain. Caption: Picture(l-r) shows Ian Borthwick, Northern Rail’s Revenue Project Manager, with Paul Moirano, Parkeon Director of Sales for UK Rail and Tom Ko, Parkeon Technical Manager - Transport, at the first new TVM installation at Horsforth, near Leeds. Ends Media enquiries to: Philip Colley, Harvest. Tel: 023 9244 9655/ 07785 306378 / philip.colley@harvestpr.co.uk

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