Mott MacDonald appointed to Hitachi Tranista Thameslink roll-out

Network Rail has appointed Mott MacDonald to assist implementation of the Hitachi Tranista traffic management system as it is rolled-out across the wider Thameslink rail network.

For the uninitiated, Tranista is one of several new additions being made to allow 24 trains to run through central London in each direction, every hour by 2018. It is fundamental to Network Rail’s hugely ambitious £6.5Bn Thameslink Programme.

Tranista will manage the railway in real-time and support recovery of operations in the event of inevitable delay or disruption. The integrated system will also provide signallers, maintenance staff and train operators with all the necessary information regarding train operational status, and support the planning and scheduling of services.

Mott MacDonald will now take on an advisory role, offering guidance on proposed changes to operational roles, processes and decision making in support of Tranista. The consultancy will also explore ways to integrate Tranista within existing operational architecture and the possible impact to staff and accommodation.

According to Robert Gray, Mott MacDonald’s Project Director for the Thameslink Central Engineering Framework: “This is an important project for us as Network Rail move forward with the roll-out of new traffic management systems. The award of this contract recognises the skills and expertise of our team and their ability to deal with technically challenging work such as this.”

“A key aspect of this project will be our understanding of the capabilities of the system and how it will affect the workload of operational staff. Traffic management is a paradigm shift in the way a railway is operated, so we will need to develop a whole new approach to assessing workload,” Robert concluded.

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