New technology which remotely monitors and controls key assets which are essential for the day-to-day operation of the Tyne and Wear Metro is to be installed in a £8.8m modernisation project.
Metro’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System, known as SCADA, is to be replaced with new digital equipment. It will allow for faster and more effective fault finding – providing Metro customers will less disruption to essential facilities like lifts and escalators.
Metro’s current SCADA system, which is run from a desk in the Metro Control Centre at South Gosforth, was installed in the mid-1990s and needs to be replaced.
The project is part of £43m Nexus is investing in Metro modernisation this year. We have invested more than £408m in infrastructure renewal since 2010, as well as commissioning a £362m new train fleet for a network used by 31 million customers a year.
The SCADA system is used to manage Metro’s power supply, fire and intruder alarms, lighting, lifts, escalators and tunnel drainage pumps.
The work is being carried out on behalf of Nexus by Sella Controls the UK’s regional centre of HIMA Group, a global independent provider of safety-related automation solutions for the rail and process industries.
The project will take two years to complete. It will be the most significant upgrade to the Metro control room since the installation of a £12m computerised signalling control system in 2018.
Stuart Clarke, Metro Infrastructure Director, said: “This project represents a major investment in new technology for the Metro control room.
“The SCADA system is essential for the safe and effective operation of the Tyne and Wear Metro system. It enables us to remotely manage the high and low voltage power supplies and other key things like lighting, lifts, escalators and fire alarms.
“The new system will allow us to resolve infrastructure issue more effectively, which will mean less disruption for our customers.
“We’re going to install a completely new system, which brings with it the very latest railway industry technology. It will replace a now life expired system which was fitted in the 1990s.
“It’s a complex project that will take us two years to complete but will mean a big transformation for the power desk in the Metro control room, which will be getting more advanced digital technology. There will also be lots of work at different locations right across the Metro network, including at our electrical substations.
“High voltage power is what makes the Metro run. It’s a vital system for us and one that we are investing in to ensure we have Metro system for many more years to come.”
Jörg de la Motte, CEO of HIMA Group commented: “This is a significant award for the HIMA Group. With our TRACKLINK SCADA and RTU solution we will support a modern reliable metro network. The HIMA Group are pleased to be a long term partner of Nexus.”
The proposed solution will utilise the very latest SCADA and RTU products that have already been extensively used across the mainline UK rail network.