From January 2010 the EU will allow train operators to bid for the right to run high-speed trains through the Channel Tunnel and it is therefore likely that Eurostar will face competition from other international rail service operators. In order to meet this challenge Eurostar will need to ensure the delivery of both world class customer service and highly efficient internal processes. Patni has been providing IT development and support services to the UK based arm of Eurostar since 2004 and during this time of major change Eurostar is looking to Patni for the provision of the systems and services that will be key to a successful future.

Eurostar is a joint venture of SNCF (French Railways), Eurostar UK Ltd (a wholly owned subsidiary of London & Continental Railways) and SNCB (Belgian Railways). It has operated services through the Channel Tunnel since 1994 and has since carried more than 100 million travellers. The business is currently being restructured in order to prepare for on-rail competition and in 2010 is expected to become a single corporate entity, and the first European train operating company. The forthcoming change in EU regulations mean that from January 2010 any train operator will be permitted to provide services via the Channel Tunnel. Therefore Eurostar will face direct on-rail competition for the very first time, in addition to the competition it has long faced from the airlines.

Faced with this challenge, Eurostar recognises the need to provide superlative customer service and maintain highly effective internal business processes.

Eurostar's successful overnight relocation from Waterloo to St Pancras International in November 2007, and the current move towards a single corporate entity, has already prompted a thorough overhaul of key Eurostar IT systems and support processes. But, as Philippe Berthelot, Head of Information Services at Eurostar explains, "The new challenges to the business will bring additional pressures on the IS team. We need to focus on our core competencies while continuing to deliver new systems that will improve our competitive position."

Eurostar's internal corporate systems are based on the Oracle Applications Financial Suite and other modules such as HR and i-Procurement. An Oracle-based bespoke engineering and maintenance system (EMS) is used to plan and monitor the maintenance of the complex high speed trains and to manage the spare part inventory.

For office-based systems and small databases Eurostar uses a standard WINTEL environment. Although the use of Visual Basis and Access etc. is not widespread for application development there are several minor, but important, applications that are still supported.

The decision to partner
After giving detailed consideration to the breath of the applications portfolio as well as the complex mix of technical and organisational skills that were required to own and support it, Eurostar decided to investigate the potential of engaging a third party who would be tasked with the development and support of key various applications. Subsequently, following a detailed procurement exercise, Patni were appointed in March 2004. The contract was for the support of Eurostar's Financial, HR, Engineering Maintenance and Loyalty Programme systems.

Mark Osborne, Head of IS Business Delivery, explains: "We had a shortage of internal resources. This meant that our in-house team tended to be focused on delivering 'business as usual' support rather than us being able to dedicate resources to business development projects. We also wanted to ensure that the technical skills required to maintain and operate the systems would always be available"

Eurostar chose Patni as the supplier following a careful review of the market, opting for a company with a proven international footprint and an established global delivery model. Says Mark Osborne: "We were looking for a partner with the right combination of features. There had to be access to sufficient high quality technical resources and a well developed quality system to back them up. We were also looking for somebody who had a proven track record of operating in the UK and who would be well aligned with our own business model and ethics. Of course we were also looking to achieve the best possible value."

The service provided by Patni is governed by a set of service level agreements (SLAs) with an associated system of penalty and rewards. The success of this programme has led to Eurostar broadening the scope of services in both the areas of applications, as other key systems including those for ticketing, passenger management and business intelligence have been added to the portfolio, and for technical support as Patni now also provide first line technical support services for technology deployed in Eurostar stations.

Reaping the benefits
Working with Patni, and therefore having access to a pool of skilled and experienced resources, Eurostar has achieved the multiple objectives of optimising the value of system investments while at the same time releasing key internal resources to work on high value business projects. Philippe Berthelot adds: "We wanted to use this as an opportunity to develop and broaden the skill sets of our in-house staff. Our teams could also devote more time to the delivery of special projects. As an example a combination of inhouse and Patni resources was used to ensure the successful transition of systems for the move to St Pancras International. We had a fixed deadline, 13th November 2007, and together we achieved that successfully!"

Looking to the future
As Eurostar continues to seek productivity and customer service improvements, it will look to Patni to provide more strategic support for its systems portfolio.

Philippe Berthelot concludes: "We have a finite number of resources and so don't have the capacity to divert large numbers of people into special projects while maintaining our day to day operational processes. The main benefit moving forward will be to have access to external resources that we can draw on to provide support in development, business analysis and end-user training. We'll also look to set up a managed service utilising the global delivery model."

"Overall, Eurostar is looking to provide world class customer services, and IT is a key business enabler in that goal. However, we are a train operating company, not an IT company, so while we need to leverage technology we don't necessarily want to build a large IT competency in-house. Through our relationship with Patni, we can concentrate on our business and rely on working with our partner to develop reliable operational systems as well as build new solutions when we need them."

About Patni
Patni provides services through a global delivery model that is headed up by project and technology leaders. It has delivery capability in centres around the world, including locations in India, North America, Mexico, and the UK. For Eurostar, Patni is now involved in the full lifecycle of each new release, starting with requirements discussions, design, development, quality assurance, final testing through to the final release into the field.