For Kevin Pillay, Division Director of Mobility at Siemens, the contract will have a positive impact on the signalling industry at large. “The signalling industry is very small comprising of extremely dedicated people. There has been talk of this project for some time and Siemens is extremely proud to be involved in this significant project. ” he states.

The project will provide Siemens, as well as the rail signalling industry as a whole, with an opportunity to increase its resources and focus on developing the core skills required to support the industry. Moreover, rail signalling is set to become an attractive market for up and coming engineers.

It will be a turnkey contract from the design phase to operational handover to be executed over a five year period. The project scope includes the construction of the Gauteng Nerve Centre (GNC) and the installation of Electronic Interlocking Signalling Systems at 15 stations across the country. In addition, there are upgrades to relay rooms, tracks and a number of local and remote control stations. Siemens will procure some of its core signalling equipment from Siemens factories located in Germany; however the rest will be assembled, tested and localised at the company’s Kya Sands premises contributing to job creation and local skills development.

Siemens has a long standing relationship with the South African railway industry, which comprises both PRASA and Transnet Freight Rail, both of which are important customers. Siemens and PRASA’s implementation of various projects related to the FIFA 2010 Soccer World Cup ™ contributed to the successful hosting of the event. The company will continue to actively support PRASA in the implementation of its Railway Infrastructure Upgrade Programme which is driven by the strategic goal to transform the public passenger transport system.

Amongst the core equipment, are Siemens axle counters, points machines and signal sets which will be controlled by the SICAS Electronic Interlocking system – “the brain” of the system – at each of the stations. Information collected at the stations will then be transmitted to the newly constructed nerve centre via a telecoms backbone.

This technology will modernise PRASA’s rail network, which is almost obsolete in some areas. Having an upgraded rail infrastructure will allow PRASA to better monitor, control and manage its assets, enabling PRASA to deliver a more effective rail service to thousands of commuters across the country.. It will enable PRASA to deliver improved rail services that will be used by more commuters – the service will simply become more pleasant.

Furthermore, South Africa plays a vital role in the economy of the African continent, providing one third of its gross national product. As economic growth on the continent has strengthened, so has the demand for a modernised railway infrastructure. The South African railway network comprises almost 25 000km of track, making it the largest in Africa and the tenth largest in the world.

Indeed, according to both PRASA and the Department of Transport, rail is an effective solution to the problem of South Africa’s crowded roads. To this end, spend will be concentrated on rail, new rolling stock, upgrade infrastructure and the upliftment of stations. We support PRASA on the bold initiatives taken to change our transport system. It’s a tremendously exciting time for all players in the Rail Industry – the opportunity to change the future of passenger transport in South Africa,” Pillay concludes.