Thursday 29 May 2014
Britain’s rail revolution quickens pace as first contracts for new ‘traffic management’ technology are awarded
- Region & Route:
- National
Network Rail’s plans for a more affordable, higher performance railway have taken a step forward with the award of contracts for the first phase of a new nationwide traffic management system for Britain’s railways.
Traffic management technology sits at the heart of Network Rail’s operating strategy, which will consolidate control of Britain’s rail network from more than 800 signal boxes into 12 state-of-the-art rail operating centres over the next 15-30 years. Once fully implemented, this strategy will cut the cost of Britain’s railways by £250m each year, improve industry efficiency, reduce delays and provide more accurate and timely information to staff and passengers.
Today, contracts worth a combined £28.8m have been awarded to Thales UK to deploy traffic management technology at Network Rail’s Cardiff and Romford operating centres by December 2015. Thales is one of three global suppliers who have been working with Network Rail since 2012 to develop and test a traffic management software prototype, using real-time information to mock up how the new system would control the railway in future.
Robin Gisby, Network Rail’s managing director of network operations, said: “As the number of people and businesses relying on rail continues to grow, it is vital we have the technology to make the best use of Britain’s rail infrastructure. The traffic management which will be deployed on the network uses tried and tested technology used on railways around the world to help deliver a leaner, more efficient and reliable network.”
Network Rail is leading the industry in bringing this modern technology onto the UK railway system, which will ultimately transform our network. This new, highly automated system will allow larger areas of the network to be controlled from fewer locations and will help increase capacity and improve reliability through more effective handling of disruption.
Thales has been chosen after an exhaustive process and rigorous testing. Train operators will also be using common systems to maximise the benefits this new technology will bring.
Traffic management systems are used extensively, and successfully, around the world on a number of rail networks. Network Rail has analysed and compared best practice from these different systems in order to develop a reliable product which will suit the varied demands of Britain’s complex rail network.
Notes to editors
The value of the contracts for traffic management first deployment are worth a combined £28.8m to deploy traffic management technology at Network Rail’s Cardiff and Romford ROCs
The contract for traffic management LINX development, delivery and support has been awarded to Signalling Solutions Ltd at value of £3.4m with completion scheduled for December 2015.
The award of contracts for the national rollout of traffic management will be subject to future competitions and will involve all current traffic management framework holders:
Thales UK
Signalling Solutions Ltd (a joint venture between Alstom Transport and Balfour Beatty Rail)
Hitachi Rail Europe
Procurement process
Hitachi, Thales and SSL each developed a prototype TM system which demonstrated specific functionality. These three systems were rigorously tested and evaluated by experienced frontline users for a three month period from July 2013.
Plans for further deployment of TM across the network are currently being developed and will be subject to a separate commercial process.
About Network Rail’s operating strategy
Network Rail has over 800 operating locations, with aging and inconsistent equipment and different ways of working. Many of these locations already need replacing. By upgrading our signalling at faster than usual pace we can deliver savings sooner and for longer. Similar approaches have already been proven internationally.
At the heart of the strategy are rail operating centres – 12 centres which will become the central hub for all aspects of operating the railway, where Network Rail works with train and freight operators to deliver a better railway for Britain using leading technology. By 2015, Network Rail plans to have built six new operating centres, in addition to six existing locations.
Existing locations:
Cardiff
Derby
Didcot
Edinburgh
Glasgow
Gillingham
New buildings:
Basingstoke
Manchester
Romford
Rugby
Three Bridges
York
The development and implementation of traffic management technology adds the systems to complement the physical construction and investment taking place at these locations.
What are the benefits?
There are significant benefits for Network Rail and the broader industry including passengers, freight users and train operators, notably:
Less delay – better technology will help us restore normal services much quicker following disruption
More flexibility and capacity – more reliable performance and better train regulation will allow us to be more flexible with train plans and potentially put more services onto the network
Reduced operating costs – when complete, this will save £250m a year. A more affordable railway with more passengers will help create a sustainable future for the network
Protecting our heritage
Whilst the ROCs bring big benefits for the future, they also mark the end of a remarkably long era for the 500+ mechanical signal boxes on the national network. We are keen to acknowledge this, and are working closely with heritage organisations to ensure the best examples of our signalling heritage are suitably preserved.
Contact information
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Journalists
Network Rail press office - National
020 3356 8700
mediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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