Westinghouse Rail Systems Australia (WRSA), part of Invensys Rail Group, has reached an important milestone in its Beijing metro line project. The brand new Line 5 has commenced its passenger service. This is the first SystematICS based Integrated Supervisory Control System (ISCS) in Beijing and it is also the first in China to have an ISCS operational on day one with a passenger service.

WRSA designed and commissioned the software and performed the integration testing and system commissioning. Line 5 runs through the centre of Beijing from the northern to southern suburbs and carries a dense passenger service running at 4 minute intervals. It provides a vital link with the existing lines 1, 2, 13 and also with the future line 10.
 
The Beijing ISCS will manage 22 stations, including 16 underground and 8 interchange stations. The line extends over 27.6km and includes 1 Depot as well as main and backup Operational Control Centres.
 
Incorporated within SystematICS is a powerful suite of functional applications integrating such subsystems as: Traction Power Control, Train Control, Environmental Control, Automatic Fare Collection, Passenger Information Displays, Public Address Systems, Fire Alarms and CCTV Security.
 
The system will be on a one year trial operation and will be used for the Beijing Olympics next year. Beijing Metro Operation Company (BMOC) and its local staff are operating the system on a daily basis.
This is WRSA’s first project with local partner NARI Group Corporation in China, with the Hong Kong MTR Corporation Ltd as design consultant.  It has demonstrated their ability to work with multiple external partners while coordinating works between Australia, Hong Kong, and Beijing.  The project has been delivered ahead of schedule and is anticipated to come in within budget when the warranty is finished in 2 years time.