SELLA CONTROLS secure Electrification Project with Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail)

9 July 2021 | SELLA CONTROLS

Stockport, United Kingdom - Systems integration specialist Sella Controls Limited is pleased to announce the contract award by Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail (IE) to supply an Independent Emergency Shutdown System for the electrified rail network.

To support the current and future investment program and the expansion plans for the network, the new solution will provide IE with a modern COTS based solution to independently shutdown and isolate the railway. 

The contract covers the complete safety design, engineering, build, installation and commissioning of a solution using Sella Controls TRACKLINK® product suite in partnership with HIMA HI Matrix Safety PLC technologies. 

The application will feature fully redundant safety PLC architecture across 21 locations delivering a SIL 3 Safety Shutdown and Isolation System for Traction Power. This system will be completely independent of the main power control system preventing the energisation of power during an isolation or emergency shutdown.

The contract also includes the supply of Sella Controls TRACKLINK® SCADA application to provide operator and maintainer workstations to monitor system performance, event analysis and data exchange with the existing Traction Power SCADA System. 

The combination of these COTS based technologies will provide IE with a modern, flexible and expandable solution for Remote Isolation of electrical power.

Chris Elliott, SELLA CONTROLS Business Development Director for Rail Infrastructure commented; “The successful award of this contract by Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail is a significant milestone in the growth of our rail business. Having the opportunity to introduce our safety engineering expertise and product suite in to Ireland places Sella Controls as a premier supplier in the global rail market of Safety Critical and Control Solutions.”

Elliott added; “We will be supplying IE with the latest HIMA SIL 3 Safety PLC technologies integrated with our TRACKLINK® SCADA application and Mitsubishi Electric HMI panels. This clearly demonstrates our capability as a systems integrator. We are pleased that Sella Controls has been chosen by IE to supply a modern COTS based solution for power control.”

Project is scheduled to commence in July 2021 and forms part of a long term agreement to provide solutions and engineering services to IE.

Declan Murphy, Technical Manager Electrification at Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail commented: “Sella Controls were very professional in their approach to this project. From the initial Prior Indicative Notice( PIN), and through Pre-Qualification and Tender they have shown an understanding of what Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail are trying to deliver from a safety perspective and supported this with considered options on how to deliver the project and all coupled with the added benefit of their understanding of the Rail business. We look forward to working with Sella Controls on this exciting project.”

Notes to Editors


Company Brief – Sella Controls
Established in 1974 as Sella Controls, the company was appointed agent for HIMA Paul Hildebrandt for safety system products in 1983; and became Hima-Sella Ltd in 1994. In 2001, Hima-Sella Ltd received the first ever CASS certificate - awarded for functional safety management in accordance with IEC 61508. In June 2017 the company changed its name back to Sella Controls. The change of name reflects the successful and continued development of the business across an increasing number of industry sectors, whilst maintaining its long standing relationship with HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH of Bruehl, Germany.

Today, Sella Controls is recognised as a market leader in ‘engineered solutions’ for safety, control, automation and telecommunication applications in the oil & gas, petrochemical, rail, steel and power industries. Current services include completely integrated systems, panel building, sub-assemblies, product development and on-site support.

The company is an active member of RISQS – the standard database from which companies in the rail sector select their contractors and suppliers; First Point Assessment Limited (FPAL, the industry database from which those operating in the oil and gas industries select their contractors and suppliers); and the Joint Qualification Scheme (JQS, the prerequisite for suppliers to the oil industry in Norway and Denmark, as used by the top 20 oil companies in those countries). Sella Controls is also a member of several associations and industry-based councils, including the Railway Industries Association, Rail Alliance, Energy Industries Council, the Institute of Measurement & Control, and the Nuclear Industry Association, keeping the company up to date with the changes in legislation and standards.

Recent multi-million pound contracts won by Sella Controls in the rail sector are the design and supply of Docklands Light Rail Traction SCADA System, a fully integrated telecommunications system for the Central Line, Network Rail SCADA Renewals across AC/DC Electrification and Tunnel Ventilation SCADA for the Piccadilly Line. (In the oil & gas sector the upgrade of critical safety equipment in Norway, at the world’s third largest liquid petroleum gas (LPG) processing plant, as well as offshore system in the North Sea and Indian Ocean. The company is headquartered in Stockport with regional offices in Leicestershire and Aberdeen. In total, Sella Controls employs more than 100 full-time personnel and has a turnover in excess of £12million. The company’s quality management system has been approved to BS EN ISO 9001 since 1989.