WILLESDEN DISASTER RECOVERY SITE UNDERGOES MAJOR UPGRADE TO ENHANCE OPERATIONAL RESILIENCE

In a significant step towards increased operational resilience, the Willesden Disaster Recovery (DR) site, a crucial backup facility for the Palestra control team, has undergone a major modernisation. This project aims to enhance the efficiency and reliability of a facility that is vital for maintaining business continuity during emergencies such as system failures and other disruptions.

The DR site serves as the backbone of operational stability, ensuring that crucial functions can continue uninterrupted in times of crisis. The recent overhaul addressed outdated infrastructure, which previously impacted the overall working environment for such a key site. The upgrade introduced new workstations and a more robust setup.

Key enhancements included doubling the screen count, integrating the latest generation of iGel thin-clients, and replacing obsolete Windows seven PCs with new Windows 10 systems. Additionally, new battery backup systems have increased the site's reliability, ensuring it can withstand and swiftly recover from power issues without causing operational impact

Control systems and performance manager, Mohnish Mirchandani, expressed his satisfaction with the project, stating: “The DR site is fully transformed. We are impressed, and the control team really appreciates the work put in by the IT team and the quick turnaround.”

The transformation of the Willesden DR site is not just a technical upgrade; it has also revamped the office, making it more effective for the control team and closely matching facilities at Palestra. These upgrades mean that the DR site is better prepared to ensure a continuous and seamless service, even in the face of unforeseen challenges.

Steph Baillie-Sauvarin, current operations manager shared how this will also leave a legacy for our control team: “The improvements made to the Willesden DR will be a game changer for both initial and on-going training for the Control team. This upgraded environment creates new opportunities to simulate train service disruption and control's response to it. It will become a fundamental part of training through the control transformation, as well as a fantastic tool for our newly introduced continuous improvement manager to work with controllers during post incident reviews to create a step change for all our stakeholders in the way we deal with disruption.”

The success of this project is a clear example of how different areas of ARL can come together to make a positive impact on and off the railway track.

Special mentions to Amanda Yarrow, Adil Hossain, Kanmi Lawal, Jaspreet Vadukul and the whole IT team for building the network and supporting technical changes. Also, to Mohnish Mirchandani and Steph Baille-Sauvarin, for their support on the delivery of this project.