Wellington Cable Car Limited’s (WCCL) Trolley Bus Overhead Protection (TBOP) Project has been awarded a prestigious IPENZ New Zealand Engineering Excellence Award (NZEE) over the weekend.

Judges described the 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 he’s thrilled with the win for the team at WCCL.

“They’re a great team who have dedicated a lot of time and passion to the project. Now to be recognised by the premiere awards for engineering in New Zealand, well, you can’t get better than that. Well done to Simon, his team and everyone involved with 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 he’s delighted with winning the Information, Communication, Electrical and Electronic Technology category and he thanks everyone who was involved in the design and making of the innovative system.

“It was a team effort – from Protechtion Consulting who undertook the design, and RCR Infrastructure O’Donnell Griffin, who helped with the construction, through to Greater Wellington Regional Council who provided funding. It’s great to be rewarded for a project that, I think, is a shining example of Kiwi engineering ingenuity and resourcefulness in a niche area.”

The IPENZ New Zealand Engineering Excellence Awards are the premiere awards for engineering professionals in New Zealand. The awards were announced last Friday evening 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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