2003 – March – McDonald – Signalling the Alice Springs to Darwin Railway

Wayne McDonald BE (Elec) FlRSE Westinghouse Signals Australia The Alice Springs to Darwin railway is the largest rail construction project that Australia has seen and is likely to see for a century. This is a Build. Own Operate Transfer project for the Asia Pacific Transport consortium. ADrail is the design and construction contractor and their operating company is Freight Link. This paper reviews the special problems encountered signalling and protecting the level crossings on lhis new railway. A computer assisted verbal train order system meeting the Code of Practice for the Defined Interstate Network, autonomus self restoring points complete with vital LED point indicators at passing loops and constant warning time crossing predictors are being installed in a harsh, remote environment. All site installations operate from conservatively rated solar power supplies. Highly reliable low maintenance systems, appropriate to the area's remoteness, are being deployed. The system can be upgraded for greater control centre automation, train position reporting, maintenance management and driver supervision as the network utilisation demands.