FirstClass Safety & Control has successfully completed two Depot Protection System projects for KiwiRail in New Zealand, delivered in collaboration with Australian rail partner Freightquip.
The projects at Waltham Mechanical Hub in Christchurch and Hillside in Dunedin strengthen FirstClass’s growing international portfolio and demonstrate the company’s ability to design and manufacture application-specific rail depot safety systems in the UK for deployment internationally.
At Waltham Mechanical Hub, FirstClass was commissioned to design, manufacture and install a SIL2 Depot Protection System for the new nine-road, double-ended maintenance facility.
The system incorporates safety interlocking with critical depot equipment including lockout arrangements, the wheel lathe, drop table and depot doors. It also includes audible warning functionality and a SCADA system providing visibility of Depot Protection System operations.
Waltham is being developed as KiwiRail’s principal South Island facility for locomotive, passenger carriage and wagon maintenance and will support the introduction of new locomotives into the South Island fleet.
FirstClass has also provided Depot Protection System technology at KiwiRail’s revitalised Hillside facility in Dunedin.
Both projects build on the successful relationship between FirstClass and Freightquip and demonstrate how UK-designed safety and control technology can be adapted to the infrastructure and operational requirements of international rail facilities.
FirstClass provides Depot Protection Systems alongside Depot Control and LOPS, Personnel Warning Systems and Interlocking Solutions, with systems designed around each facility rather than a predetermined standard configuration.
The New Zealand projects add to FirstClass’s growing portfolio of international rail work across Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.