GSM-R specialist Kapsch CarrierCom has announced that it has won an operations project to provide safety solutions on the 450km high-speed line between the Saudi Arabian cities of Makkah and Madinah
Kapsch said ERMTS Level 2 technology will be used on the route and added that it was selected by Indra and Saudi Railways Organization primarily due to its experience in safe system architectures and its reference projects with similarly high requirements.
Michel Clement, vice-president of railways at Kapsch CarrierCom said, ?We were able to win this project in particular because security, safety and expertise were key criteria, we acquired experience with similar environmental conditions in a project in Algeria and we have already equipped multiple railway stretches with similarly advanced solutions supporting ERTMS Level 2 in high speed environment.?
Construction has been under way on this railway line since 2009 and Kapsch will embark on the project later in 2013. In the first phase, the entire GSM-R infrastructure will be installed and tested and Kapsch will then support Indra and the prime contractor consortium for the operation and maintenance phase, which will last 12 years.
The new high-speed rail line from Makkah through Jeddah to Madinah will connect multiple urban regions as well as the King Abdul Aziz International Airport. The route features expansive stretches of desert with difficult climatic conditions and high temperature fluctuations, industry sources said.
