Wabtec, ARTC Secure Agreement
Written by William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief
Genesee & Wyoming Australia (now One Rail Australia) Class number GWA009 leads 1281S, a Tailem Bend empty grain, through Hawthorn. Wikimedia Commons/Adelaide Trains and Trams.
Wabtec and ARTC (Australian Rail Track Corporation) have entered into an agreement to collaborate on digital technology for Australian rail system interoperability.
Wabtec, whose I-ETMS-based Positive Train Control (PTC) onboard technology is deployed across the U.S. main line rail network, will investigate the capabilities of ARTC’s ATMS (Advanced Train Management System) and develop an interoperability standard between ATMS and ETCS (European Train Control System) Level 2, which is being installed on the NSW (New South Wales) state network to replace wayside signals under Transport for New South Wales’ (TfNSW) Digital Systems Program.
ATMS is part of Australia’s next generation of train management and safety systems using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and public cellular networks to connect track infrastructure, locomotives and network control. It enables autonomous train-based location determination, authority and speed supervision, and increased locomotive engineer situational awareness.
ARTC and Wabtec said they “will work together with relevant stakeholders to outline the CONOPS (Concept of Operations) and define the standards to realize interoperability.” The proposed technology will provide software, systems and services for ARTC to “unlock productivity, advance sustainability and enhance the safety” of ARTC’s 5,300-mile operations network.
“ARTC recognizes the complex problem of solving interoperability, and we are pursuing multiple pathways to find a feasible solution that will help to make rail safer and more competitive across Australia,” said ARTC CEO and Managing Director Wayne Johnson. “We are excited to partner with Wabtec to actively pursue one of the options. Wabtec was selected to support this project as a rail industry leader with a proven track record of implementing a safety-critical train control solution (PTC),” deployed across 60,000 miles of the U.S. freight rail network on more than 21,000 locomotives.
“This project will be a key building block that enables ARTC to transform Australia’s freight rail network,” said Wabtec President of Digital Intelligence Nalin Jain. “Furthermore, the system’s interoperability provides the option of integrating with locomotive digital solutions like the energy management and scheduling optimization technologies that Australian railroads use in their operations.”
“ARTC is taking a progressive and innovative approach with its ATMS to advance Australia’s freight rail industry,” said Wabtec Senior Regional Vice President, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand Wendy McMillan. ”With Wabtec’s robust expertise and digital technologies portfolio, ARTC will further explore the capabilities of the ATMS as an option, which will benefit the entire country’s supply chain.”
