Southern Suburbs Rail Project

Due to the dynamic nature of the system design for this project there was a great need for problem solving and design updating in order to enable the objectives for this project to be met.

On the face of it this project involved:

• utilising Nokia MUX equipment and fibre optic transmission systems to link all new stations with the PTA offices in East Perth
• linking Siemens microwave radio from the PTA offices in East Perth to the PTA repeater at Martin-in-the-Hills and on to Mandurah Station
• installing and testing of mobile radio base stations at all stations
• installing, testing and setup of SINAD voting equipment at PTA East Perth
• installing RF feeder and antenna at PT Perth
• installing leaky feeders in all tunnels and underground stations for mobile radio comms to trains
• installing alarm systems

A number of challenges soon came to light.

The MUX installation drawings, drawn up with reference to existing MUX equipment, were not in line with the MUX model currently in use. This meant there were many mistakes and omissions. Our staff found the errors, corrected them and updated the drawings bringing them in line and fully up to date.

The alarm system (SCADA) inputs from the radios and transmission equipment didn’t work and the existing method of connecting the alarms to the SCADA had the potential to damage the transmission and radio equipment. This needed urgent attention. The system also required reconfiguration to enable it to work successfully. Our staff carried out most of this work and it was a great success.

The crimp pins on the DB series connectors were the incorrect type for the cable being used. If left unchecked this would have caused reliability issues. The solution was to replace all of the incorrect crimp pins with the correct type. Our staff researched and advised the project staff on this solution and all of the incorrect pins were replaced. We found that incorrect pins were in use in all areas of the communication system. If we had not noticed this and fixed it the repercussions would have been enormous.

Because we not only manage the work but also do the work.

For this job we were able to identify problems, resolve them and put them right. Without our expertise this project would have needed major reworking before it would satisfy PTA inspection requirements.