Introduction
Earlier this year, Beijing became the first city in the world to have hosted both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games, having hosted the summer event back in 2008. 109 events in seven Olympic winter sports were held in the three competition zones of central Beijing, Yanqing and Zhangjiakou, encouraging more than 300 million people across China to embrace winter sports.
Athletes, spectators, and media attendees attending the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were able to stream content, file stories and even broadcast live while travelling onboard the custom-designed Fuxing EMU high-speed bullet train. This was thanks to connectivity solutions from HUBER+SUHNER, enabling fast and reliable 5G connections on the move.
Challenge
The two venues for the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were 180km from each other. Event organisers needed to transport athletes, spectators, and media attendees between the cities of Beijing and Zhangjiakou as quickly as possible - the 350km/h Fuxing bullet train was the answer.
Development was not without its challenges. The train was designed to be resistant to low temperatures of - 40℃. All exposed parts and components also needed to be able to operate under such conditions to ensure the train could be used across the areas within cold temperatures. The train was also designed to operate autonomously, meaning it needed incredibly precise control commands and signaling to enable safe operations so that the train stopped within the 0.1m tolerance of the stop-line. Additionally, the train had to provide its passengers with seamless high-speed internet connectivity and was to feature a fully functioning 5G live broadcasting studio onboard.
To improve data connection for passengers, more devices needed to be installed and this meant more compartment space was required. Intelligent operation was also a must-have so that the train could continue to run fully optimised within train-to-ground communication. Newly built trains require high-speed and reliable solutions to support connected use cases.
Solution
HUBER+SUHNER provided various connectivity solutions to give passengers a first-class experience. The high-quality, reliable and compact RADOX® cables and cable systems were chosen by CRRC Group and its important suppliers for the critical traction system and braking system.
Data transmission solutions consisting of RAILCAT CAT5e, RAILCAT7 and DATABUS cables, were installed along the entire train for Passenger Information System (PIS), e-cabinet, driver desk wiring and Train Control Network (TCN) ethernet application. The innovated SENCITY® Rail MULTI 7-port 5G antenna including RF (Radio Frequency) cables allowed the train to meet the customer demands of 5G communication and Beidou positioning.
The railway solutions from HUBER+SUHNER comply with all international standards and are ready for deployment wherever they are required. For projects like the custom designed Fuxing bullet train where delays were not an option, this ensures timely completion as roadblocks are avoided.
Result
CRRC Group was able to deliver the train successfully and on time. The Fuxing bullet train became the world’s first high-speed train equipped with a 5G live studio onboard and was able to shorten the travel time from Qinghe station to Yanqing, Taizicheng and Chongli station by 26 minutes, 50 minutes and 65 minutes.
Connectivity onboard remained fast, stable and reliable, providing passengers with an impressive Wi-Fi experience and ensuring that connections continued to work consistently. HUBER+SUHNER was pleased to partner with CRRC Group and its key suppliers to provide optimised passenger information, train control network, and train-to-ground communication systems.
