Case Study: Abellio ScotRail achieves network-wide manageability and future-proof passenger services with RUCKUS Networks

Refreshing the Network with Ruckus ICX Switches and a First-Class Ticket to the Future

Abellio ScotRail, which operates 796 trains to 346 stations and handled 7.4 million passenger journeys in a single month, faced a fragmented, legacy network that couldn’t reliably support new services. Ad‑hoc hubs and unsupported switches left the IT team unable to monitor or secure the network centrally, troubleshoot remotely, or provide PoE for a new mobile ticketing rollout, Wi‑Fi on trains, VoIP and CCTV — all while managing a nationwide estate with a small team.

ScotRail deployed Ruckus ICX 7250 switches across stations, depots and offices and compact ICX 6430 units where space is tight. The new switches delivered PoE+/SNMP, stacking, centralized DHCP and Layer‑3 services, allowing rapid scaling (from an initial 11 to 300+ switches), improved monitoring and security, seamless addition of capacity, support for mission‑critical ticketing and passenger Wi‑Fi, and a path to IPv6 — significantly improving operational efficiency and the passenger experience.

Abellio ScotRail

Max Eaves

IT Technical Project Engineer