As a part of a $650 million program to revitalise the Newcastle city centre and waterfront, and to deliver better transport mobility, a wire-free light rail system will be introduced as part of the Newcastle Light Rail (NLR) sub-project in a step towards an energy efficient and sustainable mode of transport. This Australian first, wire-free light rail project will deliver a high capacity, frequent service through the city centre.
Nova Systems has been providing engineering systems and safety assurance of the entire NLR project, on behalf of Downer EDI Group – the managing contractor and systems integrator, since the commencement of detailed design activities in December 2016. In addition, Nova Systems has managed the implementation of a new Asset Information Management System for the project’s fixed infrastructure and fleet of six Urbos 100 Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs).
The arrival of the first LRV from Spain on Tuesday 11 September 2018, signified a key milestone as the project now enters into the critical and exciting test and commissioning phase, during which Nova Systems will be providing test and commissioning management services.
For the first time in the Australian transport sector, Nova Systems introduced its Requirements Assurance and Validation Suite (RAVS) to assist the testing of the LRVs built by CAF. With public operations commencing in February 2019, the Nova Systems RAVS tool will effectively and efficiently facilitate requirements compliance and assurance throughout the test and commissioning phase of the project.
