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Home arrow Investor Relations arrow RNS Announcements arrow 2004 arrow BT and Eckoh to supply train information service for ATOC
BT and Eckoh to supply train information service for ATOC    28/09/04 Print E-mail
Eckoh Technologies plc (“Eckoh”), one of Europe’s leading speech application service providers, today announces that through its speech alliance with BT, they will help develop and host an automated train running information service for the Association of Train Operating Companies (“ATOC”).

The automated train update service will provide callers with another way of accessing train times and the same real-time train arrival and departure information already available from National Rail Enquiries by telephone, WAP and on the National Rail web site, www.nationalrail.co.uk. It will allow callers to select the relevant train stations by using either speech recognition or touch-tone entry

The service will for the first time allow travellers to call an automated service to see if there is disruption to their planned journey. ATOC currently provide the National Rail Enquiries which receives more than 50 million calls a year. The new service will provide a complementary method for users of the UK rail network to obtain real-time train running information.

BT and Eckoh are in the process of developing the service for a soft launch later this year.

Nik Philpot, Chief Operating Officer for Eckoh, commented: “We are delighted to be working alongside both ATOC and BT to supply what we expect to be perhaps the busiest automated service using speech recognition yet delivered in the UK. We believe that this service will deliver real value to the rail user and will clearly demonstrate the benefit and convenience that speech technology can deliver. We see the service as yet another validation of our decision to invest in building such a large call processing platform capable of using speech recognition, a factor that was central to ATOC’s requirements.”

For further enquiries, please contact

Eckoh Technologies plc
Martin Turner, Chief Executive
Nik Philpot, Chief Operating Officer
Tel: 08701 100 700

Buchanan Communications
Mark Edwards/Jeremy Garcia
Tel: 020 7466 5000

Notes to Editors

About the Association of Train Operating Companies:
The Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) is the official voice for the passenger rail industry – representing train companies to the government and other opinion formers on transport policy issues. Britain’s train operators are working together to change rail travel for the better.

ATOC manages many joint activities for train operators including revenue allocation and settlement, impartial retailing, the National Rail Enquiries, Railcard marketing, staff travel arrangements, international products and travel agent licensing.
 
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