Transport for NSW (TfNSW) is looking to upgrade and simplify the stack of core systems it uses in its transport and traffic nerve centre.
The department’s Transport Management Centre (TMC) – where the core systems manage transit on roads, ferries and rail network – is “currently constrained by legacy systems,” TfNSW wrote in a request for information.
“Some of these critical systems have reached, or are reaching, end of life, resulting in performance degradation, reliability concerns and limited scalability.”
TfNSW currently hosts the systems in a hybrid environment, spreading platforms and applications across both its own data centre and cloud.
A spokesperson for the department said the transport authority hoped to streamline and rationalise the number of platforms and applications needed for day-to-day operations.
The core systems that TfNSW is seeking to replace includes tools for incident response and recovery, network orchestration and knowledge sharing among teams, the spokesperson said.
The core modernisation builds upon improvements to the TMC’s transport management system that began in 2018 and were completed in 2023, the spokesperson said.
Cubic won the $96 million contract to provide the new system and core systems replacement project will build on what it previously delivered, the spokesperson added.
The search for a new core system also follows a $10 million refurbishment at the TMC, which the NSW government labelled its most significant upgrade since it opened in 1999.
The refurbishment included physical enhancements such as increased space for teams, drone pilot stations and a 23-metre digital screen for displaying relevant information.
Growing state-wide operations
Upgrades to the core systems align with a new statewide operating model, the spokesperson said, with TfNSW looking to harmonise metropolitan and regional services more consistently.
The new operating model includes a move to unite the “systems and solutions” used in traffic control centres across the state, the spokesperson said.
The goal of this new approach, the spokesperson said, would be to give control centre operators enhanced situational awareness, better communication between each other and more effective network tracking tools.
“For travellers, this will help us deliver more timely and accurate updates, and detours and disruptions for freight operators can be managed with increased efficiency and maximum safety,” the spokesperson said.
The department expects to make a decision on the core system upgrades on March 1, 2026.