About Translink
Translink is leading the transformation of transport in Northern Ireland. With a mission to deliver advanced, sustainable, and integrated public transport networks, Translink connects people and communities, supports the economy, and promotes a healthier environment.
Key Facts
- 5 million passengers travel to work, education, healthcare, and leisure each week
- 12,500 services operated daily
- Fleet of 1,400 buses, coaches, and trains
- Over 44 million miles travelled annually
- Management of 300 miles of rail track, including bridges, level crossings, and signals
- 60,000 school journeys supported daily
- More than 4,000 local, green jobs supported across Northern Ireland
- Fully accessible bus and train facilities
- Over 200,000 active concession passes
- Leading transport provider for major public events
Safety, compliance and best practice
Passenger safety sits at the heart of Translink’s operations. The organisation operates within a complex regulatory landscape, with multiple governing bodies overseeing different modes of transport.
As a transport leader, Translink’s commitment to passenger safety and service quality extends well beyond compliance, with governance, accountability, and best practice embedded into every aspect of its operations. However, the legacy manual systems used previously at the transport leader were no longer fit for purpose. Paper-based record keeping made it difficult to perform timely reliability analyses, creating inefficiencies, and a reliance on drivers for manual inspections and data submissions.
Meanwhile, advances in equipment and sensor technology created an opportunity for greater data analysis, efficiency and refinement when it comes to performance and safety standards.
Against this backdrop, Translink identified a need for Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) capabilities, which could integrate with its finance systems to enable comprehensive visibility of maintenance costs, warranties, contracts, and service intervals. The solution needed to deliver full insight into the cost, lifecycle, efficiency, and service performance of every asset across the network.
The Solution: HxGN EAM
Translink selected HxGN EAM based on its ability to deliver the rigour, scalability, and best practice needed to manage a large, complex fleet of trains and buses efficiently and safely.
Transforming Transport Safety
Supported by Progressive TSL, a HxGN Premier Channel Partner, Translink’s asset management processes have since been transformed as a result of using the platform.
“HxGN EAM makes it easy to input and extract data, manage work orders efficiently, and capture asset costs, materials, and schedules, while automatically logging and escalating issues when needed,” comments David Lowry, Head of Fleet Systems, Translink. “Ease of use has been really valuable as it gives users the ability to access dashboards easily. And because the system is fully integrated with Power BI, we have analysis at our fingertips.”
“Defects are a fact of life when operating a transport fleet. In maintaining the smooth running of a diverse fleet, the worst-case scenario is having to disembark passengers from a bus or a train because of a defect, so it’s crucial that we remain one step ahead and prevent issues before they become problems.“
By capitalising on evolving telematics capabilities, maintaining strict service and warranty intervals, and robust inspection processes, Translink ensures safety and reliability that exceed regulatory requirements, minimising disruption and preventing breakdowns. Auditing has also become seamless as David explains:
“We’re audited regularly, and now all the required data is in one place and accessible at the click of a button, a stark contrast to the days where an audit meant searching through filing cabinets.”
Continuous Improvement
Translink remains committed to continuous improvement and ongoing investment in HxGN EAM to leverage the latest functionality and sustain operational excellence.
Mobile capabilities are being explored to simplify job assignments. As well as drivers having devices from which to input data in real-time, engineers will receive real-time alerts as soon as issues are detected.
Future development will also include enhanced third-party integration, mapping contractor accreditations, skillsets, and availability to ensure that the right expertise is deployed quickly and efficiently.
And with net-zero goals looming fast, emissions monitoring will also be a major focus. With each vehicle generating data from around 20,000 sensors, this performance data will be critical for leveraging AI technologies and introducing predictive maintenance strategies.
A Shared Ethos
As transportation evolves, the volume and complexity of data will continue to grow. HxGN EAM provides the scalable, future-proof platform Translink needs to support sustainability, safety, and customer experience, backed by Progressive’s subject matter expertise.
“With continuous improvement at the heart of our business, Progressive plays a pivotal role in helping us innovate and optimise asset management and passenger safety, and we have complete confidence that we have the right platform, and team in place to tackle the challenges ahead.”
“Progressive’s knowledge, industry experience, and commitment to going the extra mile have been invaluable in embedding rigour and best practice and helping us realise the full potential of HxGN EAM. We look forward to deepening our use of the system to gain richer insights into our assets and driving further improvements.”
David Lowry, Head of Fleet Systems, Translink
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