SICE announces the successful completion of the Operational Management and Control System (OMCS) upgrade for Melbourne’s 39km EastLink tollway. This project marks a significant milestone in the ongoing partnership with ConnectEast, ensuring the tollway remains at the forefront of operational efficiency and safety. With the integration of SICE’s flagship solution, SIDERA, the upgrade delivers improved traffic management, cybersecurity, and seamless control of the tollway’s critical infrastructure, benefitting approximately 250,000 daily users. The project spanned from June 2023 to November 2024 and was completed with minimal disruptions to traffic flow.
After 16 years in operation and a partial upgrade in 2016, EastLink’s OMCS hardware and software components reached the end of their lifecycle. In response, ConnectEast entrusted SICE to implement its innovative OMCS platform, SIDERA, as part of a comprehensive system upgrade. This upgrade has not only modernised the tollway’s operations but also introduced critical enhancements to ensure the long-term sustainability of the infrastructure.
The project involved integrating and replacing various equipment and subsystems, including a new OMCS core with advanced architecture, software, hardware interfaces, and cybersecurity features. The deployment of a new OMCS network, including network switches and a network management system, as well as upgrades to operating subsystems like CCTV systems and a new video wall, ensured the tollway maintained seamless traffic flow and functionality throughout the transition.
SIDERA’s implementation has been pivotal in enhancing EastLink’s operational efficiency, safety, and responsiveness, allowing the tollway to adapt to future technological and operational changes. Throughout the upgrade process, SICE demonstrated its technical expertise by ensuring minimal disruption to the tollway’s operation.
Manuel Gonzalez Arrojo, Managing Director of SICE Australia and New Zealand, reflected on this achievement: “In 2005, SICE entered the Australian market to deliver a comprehensive tolling solution for EastLink. It was our first project in the region, and today, we are thrilled to strengthen our long-term partnership with ConnectEast by delivering our SIDERA platform.”
This project is another chapter in SICE’s extensive collaboration with ConnectEast, which began with delivering EastLink’s tolling solution in 2008. In 2017, SICE completed a significant upgrade of the tolling system and has since provided continuous support and development to ensure the tollway’s smooth operation.
