Yunex Traffic has migrated 33 metro stations to the new track traction control system in just 11 weeks. “A brisk pace! Everything was tightly planned. We could only start after the last metro had left at 1 AM and had to be ready before the start of the timetable at 5 AM. That put the necessary pressure on us, at MET and at GVB. Fortunately, thanks to the good result and the enthusiastic cooperation, you can quickly forget about that temporary burden.”

All stations are now linked to the central operating, monitoring and control installation of the North/South line. The operators of the Amsterdam metro network no longer have to work with different platforms. This is not only simpler, but also increases the overview, prevents errors and thus contributes to safe and trouble-free metro traffic. This also provides advantages for all parties in terms of management and maintenance. Yunex Traffic will maintain all supplied technology. This falls under the multi-year maintenance contract for the North/South line. This contract runs until 2028 and can be extended thereafter.

As part of the renovation, Yunex Traffic has also ensured that the existing metro stations are supplied with energy in a sustainable way. Peters: “During the implementation we found out that some outdated medium voltage installations in the stations needed to be replaced. For this we used the Siemens technology SITRAS MDC. Despite this extra job, we did not experience any delays.”

Yunex Traffic uses an interactive digital tunnel twin. Renard: “This is a 3D model of the tunnel with all the new installations, including the environment. This is linked to the new tunnel control software and the new workstation for operating and monitoring the tunnel, making it possible to create all kinds of scenarios in the renovated tunnel before the renovation tunnel very accurately. This way you can accurately test the functional behavior of the tunnel. This reduces costs, shortens lead time and increases efficiency. We are talking about two phases with the Digital Twin. The first phase is the physical Digital Twin, a control station to which equipment is physically linked. This allows you to test whether the hardware is doing its job properly. It is an interface between the control and the hardware. The second phase is a Digital Twin that simulates the hardware, using the SIMIT software package developed by Siemens. This allows you to perform a virtual boot without hardware, test automation applications in a virtual environment and train tunnel traffic control in a realistic butn the safe environment. So: In phase 1 you physically test one lamp and in phase 2 you can test 100 virtually.” In phase three, there is a test framework for the software. “Connect field equipment to SIMIT and you have a field simulation. The software is therefore linked to the real tunnel. You can also simulate camera images with it. For example, it is possible to see from the perspective of the road user looking at the equipment in the tunnel. It is also possible to see from the camera whether its position is optimal.”

For Henk Peters, who has been a project manager at Siemens for 32 years, it was his first mobility project. “I worked in the energy sector for a long time and was, among other things, project manager of the new Eems power station. I initially had to get used to the mobility market, but I was able to quickly find my way around it. After all, projects, in whatever sector, are not only about technology, but above all about human cooperation. Connection between all those involved, together for the same goal, was one of the most important success factors for this project.”