Avantix B8070
Encyclopedia
Avantix B8070, more commonly known as Avantix MultiTicket was a passenger-operated railway ticket issuing system, installed at British railway stations from 1999 onwards. The machines were available as upgrades to the Ascom B8050 Quickfare
or as new build.
The machine was developed by Sema Group
, later SchlumbergerSema and then Atos Origin
.
Most machines were withdrawn during 2007 and 2008. The last Avantix B8070 was withdrawn in January 2009.
stations, starting with St. Albans. Other significant deployments followed on South West Trains
, at stations between Kings Lynn and Peterborough
to London
and on c2c
. Small numbers of machines were deployed at other stations including Leeds
, Manchester Piccadilly and London Paddington.
B8070 machines were fitted with an industrial PC connected to the UK rail wide area network. This offered a significant advantage over the B8050 in support terms giving the ability to connect to each machine from a central location and :
A significant advantage of the Avantix B8070 over the Ascom B8050 was the ability to handle credit-card payments. Initially this was by reading the magnetic stripe of the credit-card, but this was updated to handle Chip and PIN
cards with the addition of a Hypercom Chip and Pin card reader and pin pad.
The software application could handle tickets to all GB destinations, however, to reduce scrolling through lists of stations, these were in practice limited to 200 most popular destinations from the station, plus all of the London Underground
destinations.
Ascom B8050 Quickfare
Ascom B8050, usually known by the name Quickfare, is an early example of a passenger-operated railway ticket issuing system, consisting of a series of broadly identical machines installed at British railway stations from 1989 onwards...
or as new build.
The machine was developed by Sema Group
Sema Group
Sema Group plc was an Anglo-French IT services company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Schlumberger in 2001.-History:...
, later SchlumbergerSema and then Atos Origin
Atos Origin
Atos S.A. is an international information technology corporation which operates in 42 countries worldwide, with over 78,500 employees...
.
Most machines were withdrawn during 2007 and 2008. The last Avantix B8070 was withdrawn in January 2009.
Introduction of the Avantix B8070
A pilot Avantix B8070 was trialled at East Croydon railway station during 1998. The first machines in live use went into service on ThameslinkThameslink
Thameslink is a fifty-station main-line route in the British railway system running north to south through London from Bedford to Brighton, serving both London Gatwick Airport and London Luton Airport. It opened as a through service in 1988 and by 1998 was severely overcrowded, carrying more than...
stations, starting with St. Albans. Other significant deployments followed on South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
, at stations between Kings Lynn and Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and on c2c
C2c
c2c is a British train operating company that is part of the National Express Group. It provides passenger rail services on the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway line from Fenchurch Street railway station in the City of London to east London and the entire length of the northern Thames Gateway...
. Small numbers of machines were deployed at other stations including Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Manchester Piccadilly and London Paddington.
Details of the machine
The user interface comprised an ATM style display screen with hardware buttons for selecting menu items displayed on each side of the screen.B8070 machines were fitted with an industrial PC connected to the UK rail wide area network. This offered a significant advantage over the B8050 in support terms giving the ability to connect to each machine from a central location and :
- update fares
- change the tickets on offer
- diagnose faults
A significant advantage of the Avantix B8070 over the Ascom B8050 was the ability to handle credit-card payments. Initially this was by reading the magnetic stripe of the credit-card, but this was updated to handle Chip and PIN
Chip and PIN
Chip and PIN is the brandname adopted by the banking industries in the United Kingdom and Ireland for the rollout of the EMV smartcard payment system for credit, debit and ATM cards.- History :...
cards with the addition of a Hypercom Chip and Pin card reader and pin pad.
The software application could handle tickets to all GB destinations, however, to reduce scrolling through lists of stations, these were in practice limited to 200 most popular destinations from the station, plus all of the London Underground
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
destinations.