THE
AUSTRALIAN Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) has contracted
Lockheed Martin in a $74.8m development of a communications-based train management system for freight rail.
The Advanced Train Management System (ATMS) is said to allow trains to run without operators, and will be designed for the national interstate freight rail network.
The contractor will design, develop, construct and test an ATMS prototype over a 120km section of the existing network in South Australia.
According to the ARTC, the new freight system will provide enhanced visibility into the rail network operations, reduce life cycle cost and maintenance of signalling systems, and increase freight capacity.
Lockheed Martin had previously completed the ATMS Design Study Phase in April 2006, resulting in a blueprint for the development and rollout of the system.
It will now provide all the elements for the system, including components to be installed in existing facilities, locomotive onboard processors, displays, and automated switching device. The communications side of the system will be enabled by a telecommunications upgrade which will use the Telstra Next G network.
Queensland-based Ansaldo STS has been subcontracted by Lockheed Martin to provide the dispatch and trackside controls for the ATMS. This will provide more than 100 jobs to Melbourne for installation, testing and acceptance.
