Invensys Rail awarded mainline signalling contract in Finland

Invensys Rail has been awarded a contract by the Finnish Transport Agency (formerly the Finnish Rail Administration) for the Iisalmi mainline and railway yard signalling project.

Located on the main North to South line (Savonrata) between Kuopio and Kajaani in central Finland, the project encompasses a four kilometre section of the mainline, together with a branch line to the North and West towards Kajaani and Ylivieska. The railway yard area is approximately two kilometres in length and consists of 10 tracks, the main line and one siding.  The scope of the project covers the design, supply, construction, and testing of six centralised WESTRACE computer-based interlockings and three remote WESTRACE systems for the control of level crossings and block interface, together with a dual local traffic management system which will replace the life-expired existing interlocking and rail infrastructure that is currently in operation. The interlocking will interface for overall control from the main control system at Oulu.

Commenting on the scheme, Invensys Rail’s Project Manager, Vince Dade said: “We’re delighted to have been awarded this mainline signalling contract by the Finnish Transport Agency, building on the success of the re-signalling work that we are currently undertaking at the Siilinjärvi railway yard and mainline. Work on the Iisalmi programme is now underway, with the project team looking forward to working closely with the Agency and our delivery partners in Finland to deliver the programme for final commissioning in 2011.”

Veli-Matti Kantamaa, Head of the Finnish Transport Agency’s Electrical and Signalling Unit, said: “Although the delivery schedule is very tight and the signalling product requires country-specific application engineering, the Finnish Transport Agency is confident of a successful outcome of the Iisalmi signalling project”.