Siemens Deploys MaaS in Major Sydney Contract
- By CDOtrends editors
- January 17, 2023
German company Siemens Mobility has been awarded a AUD1.4 billion contract as the system integration partner for the Sydney Metro-Western Sydney Airport rail project.
While much of the contract is to deliver hardware in the form of 12 automated, driverless trains for the AUD63 billion project, the Siemens turnkey solution also includes the Railigent X Mobility as a Service (Maas) platform solution to aggregate, distribute and manage system data across the network of 46 stations.
Railigent X makes intelligent use of rail asset data to create added value, improve efficiency and reduce costs. It empowers rail operators, maintainers, and asset owners to understand their railway data, generate valuable information, and acquire deeper insights into the performance of rail assets.
The open application cloud-based solution reduces lifecycle costs, uses predictive maintenance to detect incipient failures, and decreases unplanned downtime.
Also, a reduction of unnecessary transfers to maintenance is achieved as well as lower energy consumption. Operations and maintenance can be improved and optimized for a system availability of up to 100%.
Railigent X also claims to reduce unscheduled depot stops and interventions for corrective maintenance by up to 30% and reduce maintenance costs by up to 15% through more efficient planning, which is triggered by data and eliminates premature part replacement.
The solution has been implemented on the ThamesLink network in the U.K., delivering higher availability, lower costs, and optimized maintenance.
In Germany, the solution is used in Dortmund at the Rhein-Ruhr-Express RRX, where the operator has leveraged it to create a paperless depot with full-service staff, a 3D printer, lifting jacks, a train wash, and an underfloor wheel lathe.
The first driverless trains will be tested under Sydney Harbour and the CBD later this year. Estimates for the opening of the first lines have been pushed back from the first quarter of 2024 to late 2024 or 2025.
Image credit: iStockphoto/Oleh Stefaniak
