Today’s perspective on tomorrow’s telecoms
By the TrackTalk team Commercial LTE networks are already coming on stream in many countries and within a few years high-speed mobile broadband will be an everyday commodity for millions of people around the world. 4G will also have a transformative effect on the railways, allowing multiple operational functions to be consolidated into a single [...]
Tecrail project provides the foundation for adoption of LTE
SPAIN’s rail infrastructure manager Adif is responsible for managing the country’s 11,000km conventional mainline and 2,900km high-speed railway networks. With technological innovations promising to enhance efficiency in railway operations, the infrastructure manager is focusing on planning for the future of its railway operations by investing and participating in a new collaborative research and technical innovation [...]
With: A. Berrios Villalba, Adif’s head of innovation and technological development - 04 Dec 2012
Overcoming the challenges to onboard 4G
The 4G age has already arrived October saw the launch in Britain of the country’s first commercial 4G network, bringing with it a massive improvement in data rates. Surveys in the United States suggest an average of 10-13 Mbps can be received on a stationary LTE-enabled handheld device, and with many of the latest electronic [...]
With: S. Bowyer, Mott MacDonald - 04 Dec 2012
Meeting public demand for onboard Wi-Fi
The increasing status and importance of the internet in our everyday lives has led many people to admit that they can no longer live without access to internet-based services through their smartphones, laptops and tablets. The reliance is so strong that some rail passengers are left feeling frustrated that they are unable to access these [...]
With: J. van Ooteghem, Ghent University - 04 Dec 2012
Communicating underground – light at the end of the tunnel
By TrackTalk editors As the global population becomes increasingly urbanized, tunnels are becoming part of daily life for more and more people. As well as overcoming natural barriers, tunnels are the arteries of the modern metropolis, and megacities depend on their underground infrastructure to function efficiently. The telecommunications network of the tunnel has to reflect [...]
Guaranteeing success in the world’s longest tunnels
The huge strides made in tunneling techniques in recent decades have allowed engineers to overcome formidable natural barriers, and these mega-structures continue to push further and deeper, with a string of technically-impressive projects underway or planned around the world. “Today’s rail passengers and rail operators increasingly expect to have uninterrupted access to mobile and high [...]
With: R. Sigrist, Alcatel-Lucent’s global centre for excellence rail/tunnel - 26 Apr 2012
AlpTransit Gotthard AG: The pival role of communications in tunnels
The Gotthard base tunnel will be the longest railway tunnel in the world at 57km when commercial operations begin at the end of 2016. Tunneling work on the twin tubes was completed in 2011, and now railway infrastructure installation is in full swing. This includes laying the track, mounting the catenary lines and installing the [...]
With: J. Elmiger, Chief Engineering Officer Railway Infrastructure, AlpTransit Gotthard AG - 26 Apr 2012
Eurotunnel: Enhancing communications beneath the seafloor
May 6th marks the 18th anniversary of one of the engineering wonders of the modern age. At 50.4km, the Channel Tunnel is the longest undersea tunnel in the world, reaching depths of up to 75m below sea level. On an average, more than 49,000 people pass through the twin tunnels between France and England each [...]
With: J. Keefe, Communications Director, Eurotunnel - 26 Apr 2012