Network Rail Partners With Preservica

Network Rail has partnered with Preservica Ltd to create a new cloud-based digital archive designed to preserve and provide secure access to vital operational information and unique digital assets from the history of the UK’s railway network.

Established in 2002, Network Rail is responsible for the development, maintenance and operation of the UK’s railway infrastructure. Digital information held in Preservica’s AWS hosted digital preservation platform will be used to inform new projects across the business, and meet legal obligations under the Railway Heritage Act 1996 to make important business and infrastructure records accessible indefinitely.

The new archive will serve the dual role of protecting born-digital business information generated since 2002, and digital heritage content. This includes organisational, corporate and operational records such as annual company reports, board meeting minutes, timetables and marketing campaigns, as well as valuable digitised artefacts such as Brunel’s railway engineering drawings dating back to the 1830s.

Priority materials for transfer to Preservica include Network Rail’s extensive digital film collection. These include time-lapsed videos of projects such as the Ordsall Chord Great North Rail Project in Manchester and work on the concourse roof at Kings Cross station in London.

Preservica’s active digital preservation technology will ensure these critical information assets remain readable and useable over decades through active management and migration of files as older formats become obsolete.

Vicky Stretch, archivist, Network Rail, said: “We’re handling and preserving our records using Preservica to engage people in both the history of the railway and in Network Rail’s role in delivering a 21st century railway infrastructure. Safeguarding our cultural and business records will ensure a high degree of access over time. It also allows our team to manage our information intelligently and efficiently.“

“After extensively researching ways to meet our obligations and guarantee access, we settled on Preservica. Their active digital preservation software will allow us to keep our information ‘alive’ by migrating files to newer formats over time, as well as providing secure online access for internal users and the public. As we produce new digital content every day, the system will also let us move files to the cloud on a real-time basis for safekeeping and access.“

Preservica CEO Mike Quinn added: “Network Rail joins a growing number of government and business archives using Preservica’s cloud-hosted preservation software to future-proof critical digital information assets. These include Transport for London (TfL), several county councils and The UK Met Office. We’re delighted that Preservica will play a part in ensuring Network Rail’s vital cultural and business records are accessible for decades to come.“