Integrating rail systems

City Rail Link (CRL) is in the process of establishing a futuristic, high-tech Systems Integration Facility (SIF) to combine its state-of-the-art software and hardware into the existing KiwiRail and Auckland Transport systems.

Based at the old Chief Post Office, recently reopened to public acclaim, the SIF will be the critical element to ensuring the CRL operates effectively and efficiently when it opens.

The work is a collaborative project involving teams from CRL, KiwiRail and Auckland Transport (AT).

The SIF will control rail and building systems, such as lighting, ventilation etc - and at its peak, the SIF will be manned by 20 people (CRL, AT, KiwiRail). Once the system is built, tested and integrated into the network, it will be moved into the Waitematā Station (Britomart).

“It will take significant innovation to design, build and integrate the system, with an 18-month timeline for completion,” says CRL Chief Executive Sean Sweeney.