Perth's new rail network control centre ready for operations

Management of Perth’s passenger rail network is set to reach new heights, with the WA Public Transport Authority’s state-of-the-art network control centre now ready for operations.

The network control centre is housed in the new purpose-built Public Transport Operations Control Centre (PTOCC) building in East Perth, which has been delivered to support the expanding METRONET rail network. The building will also be home to a new central monitoring room, which connects to the thousands of CCTV cameras across the network.

The new control centre, which covers roughly 1000 m², will be responsible for round-the-clock monitoring of Perth’s rail network, which includes around 500 km of rail, 87 stations and almost 10,000 weekly services. The main feature of the control centre is a 100 m² mega screen, which maps the entire rail network and provides real-time information on every train in service. This mapping is made possible by thousands of data points constantly feeding information into a bank of servers within the PTOCC building.

“This is an incredible new facility that will serve as the nerve centre of our train network for many decades to come,” said WA Transport Minister Rita Saffioti.

“The staff operating this centre can see exactly where every train is at any given moment, helping them to quickly respond when issues arise.”

The opening of the centre comes as the WA Government continues to deliver its 10-year High Capacity Signalling Project, which will modernise trains’ control systems. High-capacity signalling, which is utilised on major train networks around the world, will add around 40% capacity to Perth’s rail network and allow for more frequent services on the network.

Works to deliver the high-capacity signalling systems will include:

• upgrading signalling along the total length of the Transperth train network (500 km);
• installing more than 7000 transponders enabling precise train location;
• introducing new in-cab signalling equipment for 125 trains including the Prospector and Australind regional trains; and
• improving passenger information on more than 600 displays on 89 stations across the network.
   

“This new control centre, along with high-capacity signalling, represent the future of our rail operations in Western Australia, and will deliver more frequent, reliable and efficient services,” Saffioti said. Both the PTOCC building and the High Capacity Signalling Project are being funded by the state and federal governments.

Image credit: iStock.com/Photon-Photos