Signalling & Systems

Safer, smarter railways,
signalled by Quantum Rail.

Quantum Rail is a specialist engineering business that develops and delivers signalling products and control systems for the railway sector, covering the full engineering lifecycle from concept and design through to commissioning and ongoing support. We offer technology-agnostic systems, with experts familiar with most railway signalling technology in use across Australia. Our flagship product, QuLock, is a SIL4 digital interlocking built to the highest rail safety standard, part of a suite of technologies positioning Quantum Rail as a long-term alternative partner to railway operators. Through our partnership with Indra, QuLock pairs with the Indra RBC to deliver complete, open ETCS Level 2 solutions.

Start a conversation About Us Explore QuLock Explore ETCS Level 2
Open Signalling Platform SYSTEM NORMAL
QR12 QR14 QR16 50126
SIL4
QuLock independently certified
Australian owned & operated
4 design offices
Melbourne · Brisbane · Sydney · Adelaide
EN 50126/8/9 + 50716
& IEC 62443 cybersecurity standards
About Us

Deep signalling expertise, delivered with an innovator's mindset.

Quantum Rail is a specialist, technology-agnostic engineering business that develops and delivers signalling products and control systems for the railway sector, covering the full engineering lifecycle from concept and design through to commissioning and ongoing support.

We believe in open, connected systems built on proven, reliable Commercial-off-the-Shelf hardware platforms. This shifts the conversation away from the underlying technology and back to where it belongs: on reliability, functionality and stable, dependable railway solutions.

Our flagship product, QuLock, is a SIL4 digital interlocking system built to the highest rail safety standard, alongside a suite of supporting technologies positioning Quantum Rail as a long-term alternative partner to railway operators.

Our team of industry-leading experts holds assessed competencies across signalling design, verification, independent review, function testing, integration testing and Principles Testing, with experience spanning MTM, V/Line, ARTC, Queensland Rail, Aurizon, DIT (SA), TfNSW and KiwiRail.

Every product and service we deliver is underpinned by our ISO-accredited Quality and Safety Management Systems, the foundation that gives our clients confidence in the rigour, consistency and safety of our work. This commitment extends beyond certification to how we operate day to day: open, transparent communication with every client, at every stage, to ensure visibility, integrity and trust.

Our Technologies

Open digital signalling, developed in Australia.

Our product suite pairs proven COTS safety hardware with Quantum Rail software, giving operators a scalable, maintainable path away from ageing relay interlockings and proprietary lock-in. We bring deep, hands-on experience with the transitional interlocking platforms operators run today, and the migration paths that lead beyond them.

QuLock
SIL4 Digital Interlocking

QuLock is our Australian-developed SIL4 digital interlocking, delivering high-integrity route setting, locking and protection through a configurable, software-based architecture running on proven HIMA COTS safety PLC platforms.

  • Independently assessed to SIL4
  • Modular train, light rail, level crossing and compact wireless applications
  • Fully EULYNX-compatible, including EULYNX object controllers
  • Integrated with the Indra Radio Block Centre for ETCS Level 2
  • Deployed across Australia, New Zealand and the Asia Pacific
Quantum VDU
Train Control · Simulation · Maintenance

Quantum VDU (QuVDU) is our specialised visual display and control system, providing train and light rail control, maintenance panels, simulation and Factory Acceptance Testing platforms with significant delivery efficiency and cost savings.

  • Type-approved with V/Line and deployed on high-profile, safety-critical projects
  • Configurable with Microlok, ElectrologIXS and COTS PLCs including HIMA
  • Light Rail Control and central maintenance deployments across Adelaide's network
  • Simulation and depot testing that de-risks the path to commissioning
  • SCADA integration for level crossing and network monitoring
ETCS Level 2 & Open Signalling

The open, interoperable path to ETCS Level 2.

Quantum Rail builds on open standards such as EULYNX interfaces and COTS safety hardware, giving end users the option to source components from multiple suppliers and delivering a genuinely vendor-neutral solution. Operators modernise progressively, integrate what they already own, and stay in control of their network's future.

Proven ETCS Level 2 capability. QuLock is fully integrated with the Indra RBC over the EULYNX interface, pairing our SIL4 digital interlocking with a proven Radio Block Centre. Combined with traffic management integration, this delivers a complete wayside ETCS Level 2 capability (interlocking, RBC and TMS) on an open digital architecture.

EULYNX from the ground up. QuLock is fully EULYNX-compatible, including EULYNX object controllers, speaking the standard SCI protocols to points, signals, level crossings, train detection and ETCS balises. Total integration with traffic management and control systems uses EULYNX rather than proprietary interfaces, which keeps every layer of the architecture replaceable and competitively procured. The same architecture is ready for FRMCS, the next-generation railway radio succeeding GSM-R, as communications networks evolve.

Legacy asset interfaces. Indra's Adaptation Units provide vital and non-vital communication with legacy and proprietary systems, so networks can migrate to open digital signalling progressively, interlocking by interlocking, without big-bang replacement of what already works.

Open Digital ArchitectureQuLock + Indra
TMS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Indra RBC ETCS LEVEL 2 · RADIO BLOCK CENTRE QuLock Digital Interlocking SIL4 CERTIFIED GENERIC IXL NATIONAL FUNCTIONS DATA CONFIG CYBERSECURITY REAL-TIME OPERATING SYSTEM COTS SAFETY HARDWARE (HIMA) EULYNX Object Controllers SMART WAYSIDE · WIRED OR WIRELESS Adaptation Units VITAL & NON-VITAL TRACKSIDE Signals Points Crossings Detection LEGACY & PROPRIETARY Existing Interlockings PROGRESSIVE MIGRATION · NO STRANDED ASSETS
Partnership

ETCS Level 2 with Indra

  • QuLock fully integrated with the Indra Radio Block Centre (RBC)
  • Complete wayside capability: interlocking, RBC and traffic management
  • ETCS Level 2 wayside and RBC engineering
  • Implements modern Open Signalling Standards, including EULYNX
Open Standards

EULYNX-Ready by Design

  • Compatible with EULYNX smart wayside object controllers
  • COTS hardware guaranteeing future support and cost competitiveness
  • Every layer replaceable, with no vendor lock-in
  • Ready for FRMCS, the successor to GSM-R radio
Migration

Bridging Legacy Systems

  • Adaptation Units for vital and non-vital communication with legacy systems
  • Progressive, interlocking-by-interlocking migration paths
  • Integrates with existing train control, SCADA and monitoring systems
Core Capabilities

Full-lifecycle capability, from scoping to O&M.

Engineering Implementation

  • Scoping, conceptualisation & requirements development
  • Design, verification & validation of conventional and CBI signalling
  • Project, risk & engineering management
  • Operational concept design

Safety Assurance

  • SIL4 compliance to EN 50126 / 50128 / 50716 / 50129
  • Type approval & safety acceptance
  • Independent Safety Assessment interface
  • RAMS engineering & safety investigations
  • Principles Testing

Systems Technology

  • Signalling communication & network design and verification
  • Cybersecurity analysis for fixed & wireless networks
  • Vital & non-vital protocol implementation and analysis
  • Train control & system architecture design
  • We support relay, HIMA HIMatrix & HIMax, ElectrologIXS, Microlok and other CBI systems

Innovation

  • QuLock digital interlocking & Quantum VDU
  • ETCS Level 2 (wayside & RBC) and digital signalling
  • Simulation, maintenance & FAT solutions
  • COTS technology implementation & product certification
Selected Projects

A proven track record on safety-critical rail.

Delivered under our accredited ISO 9001 quality framework and ISO 45001 Safety Management System, integrated with those of our clients.

Elevated light rail grade separation structure on Adelaide's Glenelg line
Adelaide, South Australia · DIT

Light Rail Grade Separation Projects

QuLock SIL4QuVDUFrauscher FAdCT&C

Quantum Rail designed, tested and commissioned new signalling for Adelaide's Glenelg light rail line, removing three level crossings and replacing legacy relay interlockings at South Terrace, Glengowrie Depot and Brighton Road with QuLock digital interlockings, QuVDU light rail control and SIL4 axle counters.

  • Three QuLock digital interlockings brought into service, 2025–26
  • Automated turnback at Brighton Road, Glenelg
  • Shadow-mode commissioning minimised service disruption
Engineers commissioning QuLock HIMatrix modules for KiwiRail at Darfield
New Zealand · KiwiRail

QuLock Digital Interlocking Rollout

QuLock SIL4Open ArchitectureHIMALevel Crossings

Deployed QuLock to KiwiRail's Signalling Principles across three re-signalled sites at Darfield, Islington and Ruakura, giving KiwiRail an open-architecture, cost-effective replacement for ageing relay interlockings without vendor lock-in.

  • Independent SIL4 assessment achieved within 12 months of commencement
  • Established a qualified, ready-to-deploy interlocking platform
  • Implements modern Open Signalling Standards, including EULYNX
Solar-powered wireless detection point beside the track at Farrells Lane
Victoria · V/Line

Farrells Lane Solar Wireless Level Crossing

Wireless Vital CommsSolarElectrologIXSSafety Assurance

Delivered communications and system architecture design, safety assurance and testing for V/Line's solar-powered wireless level crossing near Stratford. Vital axle counter data is carried over Wi-Fi from solar detection points: an Australian innovation taken from concept to reality.

  • Commissioned as an active crossing on the Bairnsdale Line
  • Wire-free, sustainable solution for remote and sensitive sites
  • De-risked via depot testing and shadow-mode operation

Other past projects

Cranbourne Line Upgrade: led the entire signalling design from inception, including Dandenong Station reconfiguration and Merinda Park station.
ARTC HIMA Level Crossing Monitoring: network-wide modern monitoring standard, with 15+ monitors rolled out across Victoria, SA and NSW.
ARTC ATMS Trackside Interface Units: templated TIU designs across the 1,276 km Tarcoola–Kalgoorlie corridor.
Geelong Fast Rail Reference Design: 72 km of signalling arrangement plans, time-distance modelling and stageworks planning.
V/Line wireless level crossings: deployment and certification support for innovative wireless crossings across Victoria's most difficult terrain.
Announcements

Latest wins and milestones.

22–25 September 2026 · Berlin

Meet Quantum Rail at InnoTrans 2026

We're attending InnoTrans 2026 in Berlin, the world's leading trade fair for transport technology, from 22 to 25 September. Find us at the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) stand in Hall 10.1, Stand 200. Neil Popplewell will also be presenting with Indra at the ARA Market Briefing on 21 September, ahead of InnoTrans. If you'll be there, reach out via info@quantumrail.com.au and let's arrange a time to meet.

2025–26 · South Australia

Three QuLock interlockings enter service in Adelaide

QuLock digital interlockings at South Terrace, Glengowrie Depot and Brighton Road were brought into service on the Glenelg line, together with QuVDU light rail control and an automated turnback at Brighton Road.

Victoria · V/Line

Farrells Lane Wireless Level Crossing

V/Line's solar-powered wireless level crossing near Stratford is in service on the Bairnsdale Line. Vital axle counter data is carried over Wi-Fi from solar detection points: an Australian innovation taken from concept to reality.

Our People

Led by engineers the industry trusts.

We invest in people to create a highly competent team, genuinely motivated to give clients the best possible outcomes across every stage of the project lifecycle.

Neil Popplewell

Neil Popplewell

Founder & Director

Founder of Quantum Rail with over 17 years across signalling design, systems engineering and technical direction. A trusted authority on signalling innovation, SIL4 interlocking systems, type approval and COTS technology.

RPEV · RPEQ · MIRSE · BEng (First Class Honours) · GradDip (Railway Signalling and Telecommunications)
Mike Akdeniz

Mike Akdeniz

Director, Strategy & Growth

Over 30 years across rail signalling, communications, aviation and defence, including General Manager roles at Siemens Mobility Australia and Ricardo Rail. Deep expertise in interlocking, CBTC, ETCS and large-scale program delivery.

BE (Hons) Electronics · BSc Computer Science · MBS
+

And a deep bench behind them

Signalling · Systems · Testing

Our wider team holds industry-assessed competencies for design, verification, independent review, function testing, integration testing and Principles Testing across Australia's major rail networks.

Contact us →
Assurance & Partners

Accredited, certified, and well connected.

ISO 9001 Quality Management

High-profile projects delivered through our accredited ISO 9001 quality framework, with open communication that gives clients visibility, integrity and trust.

ISO 45001 Safety Management

We operate under our own accredited ISO 45001 Safety Management System while integrating seamlessly with those of our clients.

SIL4 Independently Assessed

QuLock signalling application data is designed to CENELEC standards for use in up to SIL4 applications, with independent SIL4 assessment obtained from an accredited assessment body.

Contact Us

Let's deliver your next digital rail innovation.

MelbourneHead Office

Level 15, North Tower
80 Collins St
Melbourne VIC 3000

Open in Google Maps

Brisbane

Level 9, 40 Creek St
Brisbane QLD 4000

Open in Google Maps

Sydney

Level 2, Tower 2
475 Victoria Ave
Chatswood NSW 2067

Open in Google Maps

Adelaide

Level 1, 185 Fullarton Rd
Dulwich SA 5065

Open in Google Maps

Talk to Quantum Rail

Contact us to see how Quantum Rail can support you with your future works, from early scoping through to commissioning.

info@quantumrail.com.au
www.quantumrail.com.au
Quantum Rail on LinkedIn

Please note: any Quantum Rail communication will only come from an email address ending in @quantumrail.com.au