From September, the “brains” of the trains circulating in French-speaking Switzerland will move from Lausanne to Renens. Employees are currently testing the new state-of-the-art and ultra-secure SBB operations center.
“It is from here that we will manage the CFF timetable on a daily basis, so that the reality is as close as possible to what appears on paper,” declared CFF spokesperson Jean-Philippe Schmidt , Tuesday, during the presentation of the building to the media. That day, it was the turn of the employees in charge of trains in the Geneva region to try out their future workstations.
The new space will accommodate some 250 “rail guardian angels” who watch over rail traffic in French-speaking Switzerland 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These traffic managers are responsible for traffic safety, the punctuality of the 2,500 trains that run there every day and the management of some 500 daily disruptions.
Critical Infrastructure
The Renens operations center has 122 control places spread over two floors. These are of course intended for employees in charge of traffic in French-speaking Switzerland, but places are also provided to accommodate employees from one of the three other Swiss operating centers – in Olten, Zurich and Poleggio -, if one of them was put out of service for some reason.
SBB operating centers are classified among the infrastructures having a vital function for Switzerland. The Renens center therefore meets certain requirements in terms of security and resistance to natural damage. It must therefore be located at height and not have underground parking so as not to be vulnerable to car bomb attacks. Access is also strictly controlled.
Circadian lighting
The transition from the Lausanne operations center to that of Renens is planned for the night of August 31 to September 1. For a smooth transition, tests in real situations have been taking place since May 13.
The CFF is confident. “There is no change in the tasks of employees, it is mainly an optimization of comfort”, they specify. Traffic managers, who work at all hours of the day and night, will, for example, benefit from a state-of-the-art circadian lighting system, aimed at preserving their biological clock as much as possible.
In addition to traffic managers, between 150 and 250 construction employees from Lausanne, active in technical, coordination and customer information services, will also move to Renens. With the commissioning of this third CFF building in the Parc du Simplon district in Renens, all of the French-speaking offices of the former federal agency will be grouped together in the same location.
The Lausanne operations center was inaugurated in 2010. It was the first of four centers of this type created by the SBB. The building which currently houses it, at 45 Avenue de la gare, will soon be destroyed as part of the transformation of the Rasude district.
This article was automatically published. Source: ats
