CLARIFICATION: TransLink did Melbourne CityLink Toll System

Head of TransLink Systems (TLS) Melbourne Australia, Salahdin Yacoubi says our report (TRnl#44 Nov/Dec 99 p9) was not clear enough about the primary role of his company in the design and supply of Melbourne CityLink’s innovative toll system. The construction company contracted solely with TLS for the toll system and TLS did all system integration. TLS subcontracted (1) the front end of the ETC system including 600k e-Tags to Saab Combitech, (2) the Central Toll Collection System (CTCS) to Computer Sciences Corp (CSC), (3) the telecom network to IBM. The integration work especially the CTCS, ETC and gantries were integrated by TLS. Yacoubi personally established and chaired integration Working Groups, to design, develop, implement and progressively validate, first with a simulator then with real equipment and under traffic, the integration of various systems: “Without this work the system, as originally delivered would have not been enhanced the way it was between July 98 and March 99, so as to meet the requirements.”