In 2014 Movares installed a PLC based system in Venlo to drive and control the overhead catenary. Unique in The Netherlands, this installation allows some of the tracks at Venlo station to be energized at either the Dutch or the German supply voltage (1.500V DC or 15kV AC resp.). The Dutch Railinfrastructure provider ProRail awarded this D&C contract to Movares in October 2013 to be commissioned one year later. A tight schedule but completed with a successful installation and commissioned in time.
Switching between the different overhead line voltages is completely automated, based on the route and destination of a train. Operators at the primary and backup control centre locations in Eindhoven and Utrecht can monitor and command the system by means of a web interface.
The systems is entirely composed of Commercial Of The Shelf components. The main PLC is a HIMax systems sourced by HIMA, and is augmented by HIMatrix I/O modules. An industrialized PC platform serves as a data logger and webserver.
Movares has been contractor and has a collaboration with BAM and HIMA.
