AFTER a lengthy hiatus in awarding major signalling contracts, Network Rail announced on May 24 that it had selected Siemens for a £50m resignalling of the Portsmouth, Fratton and Havant area.
Work is due to start this month for completion in 2007. A new centre at Havant will control 131 signals and 47 turnouts over 93 track-km. Siemens is to supply a Simis W computer-based interlocking of the type installed at Bournemouth for the Dorset Coast resignalling scheme, which was commissioned in December 2003. Siemens will also supply a Vicos operating system and AZSM axle counters for train detection.
