Passenger Rail, Signalling & Communications

WA budget fund planning for new ATC signalling systems for Perth network

Funds for planning new signalling systems on Perth’s train network are another piece of transport spending in the McGowan government’s state budget.

$7.4 million over the next two years will go towards planning for the automatic train control (ATC) system, which will eventually replace the existing Transperth signalling system.

“Rather than a piecemeal approach of repairing or augmenting old infrastructure, we’re going on the front foot and planning for the future,” WA’s transport minister Rita Saffioti said.

“Investing in ATC technology will bring Perth’s rail public transport in line with global best practice for city railways.”

According to the government, the ATC uses “state-of-the-art” technology that will enable more frequent services from more trains (an increase of up to 150%) on the lines, allowing the network to meet the expected increase in passenger demand over the next 15 years.

“As new Metronet rail projects come online, ATC will enable the network to handle the extra train movements,” Saffioti said.

“It’s yet another way we’re making WA’s world-class public transport network even better.”

ATC systems enable trains to operate automatically (with or without driver supervision), and to safely follow each other at shorter intervals, thus enabling more services on a network.

Several networks in Southeast Asia already use such systems, and Sydney Metro Northwest will be the first passenger network in Australia to use the technology.