TransLink selects companies to propose Smart Card/Faregate system
Written by jrood
Three consortia that supply smart card electronic fare payment systems and fare gates to some of the biggest transit operations in the world have qualified to submit proposals to supply a Smart Card and Faregate system for Vancouver's TransLink, to be in operation by the target date of first quarter of 2013.
The three groups are:
Thales/Octopus
International Projects – creator of the ‘Octopus Card’ used on Hong Kong’s
transit service and supplier of similar systems in the Netherlands, Norway and
Dubai.
Serco/Parkeon – who
introduced a complete smart card program for Perth, Australia, and have
provided related systems to transit operations in Belgium, England and Dubai,
as well as to the French national rail system, SNCF.
Cubic/IBM – whose systems
include London’s ‘Oyster Card’ and systems for U.S. transit agencies in Los
Angeles, Atlanta, Miami-Dade, San Francisco plus Brisbane in Australia.
The three groups were among
10 that responded to TransLink’s ‘Request for Qualifications,’ a process that
identifies suppliers with the technology and the track record to provide the
systems and services needed. The next stage in the process will launch in June
when these groups will be asked to develop formal proposals based on TransLink’s
specific requirements.
The proposals received will be evaluated against
qualifications, technical and financial criteria to identify the most cost and
technically effective system for TransLink.
A contract that will include operations and maintenance of
the system for 10 years could be awarded later this year with work beginning in
2011.
Funding for the Smart Card/Faregate
project includes C$40 million from the provincial government and C$30 million
from the federal government’s Build Canada Fund. TransLink will cover the
remaining costs.
TransLink CEO Ian Jarvis
says, "Smart Cards will make our transit system easier to use for the customers
and provide invaluable information that will help us maximize the efficiency
and productivity of our fleets. Faregates will address the public’s
long-standing concern with fare evasion on SkyTrain and will promote a greater
sense of security."
TransLink’s smart card
will be modeled after electronic fare payment systems in use around the world.
The introduction of an
electronic fare payment system provides the opportunity to install Faregates in
SkyTrain and SeaBus stations. Adding a gate or barrier to a Smart Card process
is relatively simple and, in fact, the two systems complement each other.
However, because most of the original Expo Line SkyTrain stations were never
designed with the necessary space for Faregates, the overall project includes
station modifications that will begin next year.
