Systems integration specialist Sella Controls Limited has signed a contract to work with Amey in supplying a control system at Taffs Well Depot in Wales.
Sella Controls has described the contract award as a significant milestone in the growth of its rail controls business.
Taffs Well Depot is being built by Transport for Wales (TfW) as the base for its new fleet of Citylink Trains. The new solution will provide TfW with a modern commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) safety programmable logic controller (PLC) based interlocking, distributed around the depot for connection to train location devices, points control and signals. The system will present depot layouts and control via a modern signallers HMI display in the new Taffs Well control room.
Working in partnership with Amey Rail Consulting and Amey Rail, the contract covers the complete design, engineering, build and commissioning of a solution that uses a Sella Controls TRACKLINK HMI product suite and HIMA HI Matrix Safety PLC technologies.
The application will feature a fully redundant safety PLC architecture consisting of a central interlocking PLC connected to five distributed location cases delivering a SIL 4 depot control system. Integrated with Frauscher axle counters to provide train detection and the control of points, this distributed approach provides a significant reduction in installation costs.
The contract also includes the supply of Sella Controls TRACKLINK HMI application to provide operator and maintainer workstations providing the depot control, event analysis and data exchange with the mainline signalling system for the timely despatch of trains onto the network.
Sella Controls says the combination of these COTS-based technologies, integrated with proven rail industry signalling equipment, will provide TfW with a modern, flexible and cost-effective solution for depot control.
Chris Elliott, Sella controls business development director for rail, said: “The successful award of this contract by Amey is a significant milestone in the growth of our rail controls business and builds on our partnership with Amey in this field. Having the opportunity to introduce Sella Controls safety engineering expertise alongside Amey’s signalling capability strengthens our position as a premier supplier in the global rail market of safety-critical and control solutions.
“We will be supplying TfW with the latest HIMA SIL 4 Safety PLC technologies integrated with our TRACKLINK HMI application and train detection equipment. This clearly demonstrates our capability as a systems integrator for rail safety applications. This project will enable the wider use of COTS-based safety PLC solutions for signalling.”
The project is progressing through the design with the depot being commissioned into operation in readiness to receive the Citylink Trains. The DCS solution being supplied is flexible in its design to enable control solutions for SIL 2, SIL 3 and SIL 4 applications.
Depot control is an addition to Sella Controls range of rail safety solutions that includes level crossing controllers, emergency shutdown systems, interlockings and computer-based automated test systems (XCATS).
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