Wellington Cable Car Finalist in Prestigious Engineering Excellence Awards

An “innovative and ingenious” electrical fault protection project that greatly enhances safety for workers and members of the public near trolley bus overhead wires has landed Wellington Cable Car Limited (WCCL) a spot as a finalist in the prestigious IPENZ New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards (NZEE).

As a finalist in its Project and Products category for Information, Communication, Electrical and Electronic Technology, NZEE judges described Wellington Cable Car Limited’s (WCCL) Trolley Bus Overhead Protection (TBOP) Project as “an excellent example of New Zealand engineering at its best.”

The Chair of Wellington City Council’s Transport and Urban Development Committee, Andy Foster, says the finalist nomination is a phenomenal achievement. “It was such a complex project and niche area of engineering – where everything from the design to the manufacture and assembly of the components was undertaken in house. I’m thrilled the team from WCCL has been recognised as finalists, it’s a huge thing, they’re so enthusiastic and passionate about the project.”

The aim of theTrolley Bus Overhead Protection system is to provide 21st century levels of electrical safety protection in the event of an incident. These can be caused by a number of events including vehicle accidents, extreme weather events and high loads travelling through the capital city’s streets accidentally touching the contact wires. It consists of a number of electrical protection cabinets located at key points around the network that continuously monitor and protect network sections against short circuit, overcurrent and earth faults.

WCCL CEO, Simon Fleisher, says the Trolleybus Overhead Protection system is a great example of Kiwi engineering ingenuity and resourcefulness. “The DC protection system is very unique. WCCL designed, manufactured, assembled and then tested the system here in Wellington. It’s certainly one of a kind so it is great the New Zealand Engineering Excellence awards acknowledged us as a finalist.”

The IPENZ New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards are the premiere awards for engineering professionals in New Zealand. Winners in the People, Projects and Products, and Practice categories, along with the Supreme Award, will be announced on 28 November 2014 at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland.

WCCL is a Council Controlled Organisation that operates and maintains 80Km of Wellington’s Trolley Bus overhead electrical network on behalf of Greater Wellington Regional Council.

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