Thales has recently completed a key telecommunications project in Scotland for Network Rail, following contract awards from Invensys Rail in 2007. The project, along the central Scotland corridor, has provided a new passenger link from Airdrie to Bathgate. The works, supported from Thales UK’s Glasgow-based office, were delivered despite considerable amounts of snow in the last few weeks of the schedule.
With 70% of people travelling from Bathgate to Glasgow and from Airdrie to Edinburgh going by car, a key objective of the project was to encourage commuter traffic off the roads and onto public transport, which will have environmental advantages and will also ease congestion by providing a viable alternative to the M8 motorway. Better connection between existing rail services will also stimulate economic growth, improve access to labour markets and deliver social inclusion.
The Scottish Government-funded project included the upgrading of the telecoms equipment at Airdrie station, the relocation of equipment at Drumgelloch and Bathgate stations, and the telecoms and signalling at three new stations – Caldercruix, Blackridge and Armadale. This required the detailed design, supply, installation, systems integration, test and commissioning of the new systems, across the six stations. It also covered the signalling and telecoms for a new depot at Bathgate.
The contract covered public address systems and customer information systems, as well as all associated structures being replaced across this new section of network. It also included the necessary local control equipment at each station to ensure the new system is compatible with other existing equipment and the control centres at Dunfermline and Paisley.
Peter Batley, head of Thales UK’s transportation systems business, says: “This important project demonstrates the investment that is being put into building new and replacing life-expired infrastructure on the British rail network. By helping our customers provide greater capacity and more efficiency at a lower price, we are together modernising and revitalising the railway.”
