IRELAND: National railway Iarnród Éireann has awarded Siemens Mobility a framework contract for the supply and maintence of computer-based interlocking technology which has an estimated value of more than €100m over 20 years.
Siemens will deploy its Trackguard Westlock CBI within the National Train Control Centre in Dublin to manage train movements more efficiently. This will replace legacy systems dating from the 1980s, with the entire network expected to be covered by 2040.
Westlock builds on the features of the Solid State Interlocking system which was widely used in Ireland and the UK. It offers backward compatibility with SSI’s programming language and trackside hardware, while providing up to four times more capacity.
‘At its heart, this framework is about making rail travel better and more reliable for passengers, while helping freight move more efficiently’, said Rob Morris, Joint CEO & Managing Director for Rail Infrastructure & Software at Siemens Mobility UK&I on May 16.
Iarnród Eireann’s Director of Infrastructure Éamonn Balance said ‘as we work to expand our network and services, to ensure rail is the backbone of Ireland’s sustainable transport network, we will work with partners such as Siemens who share our vision of a safe, sustainable, quality rail service for our passenger and freight customers. The ambitions set out under our existing investment programme and the All-Island Strategic Rail Review are moving from planning to delivery stage’.
