Adif has awarded Siemens Rail Automation the contract for drafting the project and installing the new Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) system for the Barcelona commuter rail network. The contract, awarded at the end of July for €7.4 million (including VAT), also includes 20 years of maintenance.
This control center is a fundamental element in the transport of Catalonia as it manages the conventional gauge services of the provinces of Barcelona and Girona and part of those of Tarragona and Lleida.
Modernizing the CTC with Siemens Rail Automation's Controlguide Rail 9000 technology will offer enhanced technological features, increasing the system's flexibility and ease of use for future expansion. Furthermore, from the operator's perspective, it will provide a more efficient human-machine interface.
The functionality of the Controlguide Rail 9000 technology has been adapted to Adif's demands to ensure that it meets the monitoring and control needs for all lines of its commuter rail network.
The Controlguide Rail 9000 is a flexible system that allows the integration of functions, such as route automation and regulation or interaction with other systems through a secure interface for information exchange with external systems.
Monitoring is organized at different levels (operations, systems, communications, and trackside elements), reporting any incidents according to the configuration requested by the client. The goal is to make the operator's job as easy as possible, allowing for the optimization of resources and operations.
Siemens has developed and installed centralized traffic centers for Adif's conventional lines in Chamartín, Valencia Fuente de San Luis, Miranda de Ebro, Zaragoza Portillo, Manzanares or Zaragoza, among others, as well as for Adif's high-speed lines in Chamartín, Zaragoza Delicias, Albacete or Antequera.
The company has extensive experience in migrating control centers without service interruption or disruption to line operations, a vital service for the city. Notable examples include migrations carried out on the Madrid Metro, the Rubí CTC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya), the Valencia Sud CTC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana), and the El Berrón CTC (Narrow Gauge Network). The company also has a branch in Catalonia staffed by a team of highly experienced professionals with engineering capabilities to develop all types of railway and mobility projects.
