Australia builds its railways to stand the test of time, but steel and sleepers mean little without system resilience. Rail technology company KeTech is ensuring the digital systems that support the rail network match its longevity.
Paul Warren, Sales Director at KeTech, said the company’s experience in retrofitting and system integration demonstrates that long-term value is not created through repeated full-system replacement, but by managing obsolescence and enabling systems to integrate across generations of assets.
“KeTech delivers passenger information systems that combine intelligent software with both legacy and modern equipment,” he said. “This adds capability, resilience and insight while keeping disruption and cost under control.”
With budgets under pressure, investment can often be focused on trains, signalling and capacity, while passenger information systems are expected to outlast their original design life.
Warren said that as these systems become central to operations and disruption management, their ability to integrate and evolve is now as important as their initial functionality.
“From KeTech’s experience working with rail operators globally, this pattern is familiar,” he continued.
“Passenger information is rarely the first system upgraded, yet it is one of the most visible and one of the most relied upon when services are disrupted or operating under pressure.”
In recent Australian reviews, passenger communication has been highlighted as a core area for improvement.
The 2025 Independent Rail Review in New South Wales highlighted that perceptions of service reliability are shaped as much by disruption communication as by train performance.
At the same time, initiatives such as the New South Wales Digital Systems Program are modernising train control and signalling, generating richer and more continuous operational data.
“If operators are investing in a more connected railway, the systems that translate that data into clear, trusted passenger guidance must be able to keep pace,” said Warren.
Retrofitting over replacement
According to Warren, a common assumption in planning is that meaningful improvement requires all-at-once replacement: new screens, new hardware and expensive overhauls. In practice, however, this approach is often impractical for Australia’s predominantly brownfield networks.
“KeTech’s work across similar complex rail environments in the United Kingdom shows that a more sustainable, cost-effective path is retrofitting legacy equipment – retaining proven hardware while upgrading the software intelligence that drives it,” Warren said.
“Done properly, this extends asset life, reduces risk and allows capability to evolve incrementally, without the disruption associated with full system replacement.”
Retrofitting passenger information in an operational railway is not simply a software upgrade. It requires deep integration skills, working across legacy protocols, control systems, onboard equipment and station assets – while maintaining reliability and meeting assurance requirements.
This is where integration-led approaches differ fundamentally from screen-led upgrades.
“Obsolescence brings this challenge into focus,” Warren said. “Unsupported operating systems and ageing architectures increase maintenance effort, limit integration and introduce cyber risk.
“Australian cyber guidance increasingly emphasises patching and supportability as baseline controls – something legacy-locked systems struggle to deliver over time.
“By decoupling software intelligence from physical assets, KeTech enables operators to modernise capability while keeping proven hardware in service.”
Beyond information: insight and passenger flow
For more than 20 years, KeTech has delivered real-time passenger information systems to rail operators.
Warren said that over that time, these platforms have evolved well beyond simple messaging.
“Today, KeTech provides operational insight as well as a better passenger experience,” he said.
“Real-time passenger counting gives operators’ visibility into how services are being used, supporting dwell-time management, more informed disruption response and safer operations during peak periods.
“When shared consistently across the network, this insight becomes a practical, real-time decision-making tool rather than a static reporting metric.”
When combined with dynamic platform wayfinding, the same intelligence can actively influence passenger movement, helping to distribute passengers along platforms and reduce pressure on staff and infrastructure.
Delivered as part of a single, integrated platform, passenger counting, wayfinding and passenger information reinforce one another, sharing a common operational truth rather than operating as disconnected systems.
Through KeTech’s systems, passengers can be informed about onboard facilities such as toilets, food and drink services, accessible amenities and bike storage – all in advance of a train arriving.
This information is updated automatically using live data feeds, decreasing reliance on manual intervention.
Warren added: “This enriched, tailored information reflects the realities of modern travel and helps to increase passenger trust so they can make better informed decisions about their journey.”
Why long-term integration expertise matters
Warren said that by combining intelligent software with both legacy and modern equipment, integration-led passenger information systems can make existing assets perform “better than new” – adding capability, resilience and insight while keeping disruption and budget spend under control.
“Australia’s rail investment pipeline remains strong, but funding pressure is real,” he said. “Operators are upgrading trains, signalling and connectivity, and with that comes more data than ever before.
“The challenge for operators is turning that data into reliable, real-time passenger information.”
KeTech’s approach is to equip operators with systems that can integrate and adapt to manage obsolescence rather than simply replacing what already exists.
“From KeTech’s experience, the greatest long-term value comes from platforms designed to integrate across generations of assets, that can evolve with operator and passenger needs in the future,” said Warren.
“Australia’s railways are built to last, and the systems that support them must do the same.”
