Network Help Point renewal

TDM renewed every Help Point across the network of SWR to meet a Department for Transport (DfT) Business Plan Commitment, from site survey and consents to installation, commissioning and handover.

The requirement

The commitment was to replace every Help Point on the estate by a contractual deadline of 31 March 2025. The programme also had to:

• Upgrade Help Point call management to the TDM Network Information System (NIS).
• Meet the DfT Design Standards for Accessible Stations at every installation.
• Reuse existing infrastructure where it was structurally viable, to limit civil works and cost.
• Obtain listed building consent at heritage stations and Network Rail landlord consent without delaying installation.
• Keep every station operating throughout.

What TDM delivered

• 395 TDM Standard GSM two-button Help Points. Each has an audio frequency induction loop for hearing aid users and a tactile panel of operating instructions for blind and partially sighted passengers.
• TDM Help Point mounting posts in two lengths: 177 of the shorter and 8 of the longer.
• TDM NIS upgraded at Basingstoke ROC (WICC), then configured and commissioned alongside the rollout.
• Full O&M documentation at handover.

How the work was done

• Survey. TDM surveyed every station to establish whether the existing cabling and foundations could stay.
• Foundations. Where mass concrete foundations existed, TDM pull tested them for the new mounting posts and reused those that passed, which avoided break-out works and waste.
• Consents. Listed building and Network Rail landlord consents ran in parallel with the surveys, so approvals did not hold up installation.
• Installation. Work was sequenced across the network so that stations stayed operational.

The result

• The programme finished on time and within budget, a month ahead of the deadline.
• Every Help Point meets the DfT Design Standards for Accessible Stations.
• Reusing cabling and foundations reduced civil works across the estate.