Sydney Metro City & Southwest is an Unattended Train Operation (UTO) railway extending the Sydney Metro Northwest Line by 30 kilometres.
The first stage of the new M1 Northwest and Bankstown Line was an extension from Chatswood on the North Shore to Sydenham in the city’s southwest via the Sydney CBD, with the following stage being a further extension to Bankstown.
It stands as one of the world’s pioneering railway projects, upgrading a Grade of Automation 4 (GOA4), also known as Unattended Train Operation. This involves the fully automated control of trains without on-board staff.
Led by MTR Corporation, the Integrator of the Sydney Metro project, a unique approach to system integration has been implemented across 21 contractors.
System integration
Prior to the commencement of works, a comprehensive design stage encompassed MTR’s work in System Integration Functions (SIF) for the operational control centre, station, rolling stock and signalling systems.
SIFs are a subset of some key railway functional and performance requirements; indicative of key operation end-to-end capabilities identified for the project. SIFs and their corresponding SIF Monitoring points provide the System Integrator, in this case MTR, visibility of the integrated progress. It allows for an early identification of issues which may impact the project.
The next stage of the project, the Sydney Metro Trains Facility North (SMTF-N) – Depot Expansion, was undertaken to provide stabling and maintenance capacity for new trains, growing the fleet from 22 to 45 trains.
The expansion included the installation of new rail tracks, rail systems, lifting beams and access platforms, as well as the building and fitting out of maintenance sheds, new access roads, the expansion of the existing maintenance building, fitting out sheds and rooms, installation of overhead wiring and modification of some existing roads.
Phil Hawkins, MTR’s Principal Systems Integration Manager (Testing and Commissioning) for Sydney Metro City & Southwest, said the depot expansion was implemented in two phases to allow the first new trains to be ready six months earlier than initially planned.
“It also allowed new trains to be commissioned early and put into revenue service on the existing Metro North West Line,” he said.
To continue with the next phase of the depot expansion, safety assurance activities were planned. These involved safety assurance reports, used to establish a “So Far As Is Reasonably Practicable” (SFAIRP) argument, demonstrating the depot expansion to be safe and sound to commence operations.
Once new trains were delivered and tested, mixed fleet operation (MFO) commenced.
In the fleet, newly commissioned City & Southwest trains were embedded in the existing north west fleet carrying passengers on the Northwest section of the line. Twenty-three new train sets were commissioned in batches, with assurance of the first batch tested.
This assured the safe integration and operation of subsequent batches on the North West Line and eliminated the risk of rolling stock integration with signalling. It also improved confidence in train reliability for dynamic testing in the city.
Safety analysis was conducted and documented in a safety assurance statement to assure the integration of new trains with existing infrastructure.
In this statement, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems were documented to ensure the safe operation of the new trains in the existing Metro North West Line corridor, under MFO.
System integration acceptance tests and dynamic tests are now complete and transitioning to trial running.
Testing and commissioning
Before trial running began, the testing and commissioning phase included the demonstration of availability of system integration functions at OCC, stations and rolling stock and signalling.
Dynamic train testing is conducted to validate the performance of trains and signalling under real-world conditions, including speed management, train separation and braking.
Multiple stages of dynamic train testing in the city have proven the performance of City & Southwest trains and signalling, regarding safety, efficiency, and reliability. This ensured the extended metro functioned optimally before commencing the trial run.
Hawkins said this reduced operational risk and enhanced passenger safety.
“City trial running involved progressive asset handover and trial running in three stages,” he said.
Trial running was conducted as part of an operational readiness plan. This was a comprehensive set of tests and drills led by the operator and supported by the integrator, in this case MTR.
An integrated engineering safety case can be used to draw conclusions regarding system readiness, the validation status of safety requirements and functions.
The safety case can also identify any constraints and support the operations and maintenance (O&M) contractor before the first passenger service.
In the case of the Sydney Metro City & Southwest project, the engineering safety case has been updated progressively from the end of design. Further updates will be implemented at the end of the testing and trial run phases to provide the SFAIRP argument, supporting the commencement of the first passenger service.
Challenges and solutions
Addressing system integration challenges in the complex contractual environment involves strategic planning and the execution of technical, operational, and organisational integration activities.
Hawkins said critical success factors include timely and consistent risk and opportunity management across design, construction, testing, and commissioning phases.
“It also involves cultivating collaboration and communication among project stakeholders.”
“These factors are essential for navigating project intricacies and successful project delivery.”
