All remote devices and systems found alongside railway tracks or installed within stations play a crucial role in ensuring safe and efficient rail operations. Across the globe, intricate networks are being installed in stations, depots and control centers in order to support important services and applications.
Whether surfing the internet or buying an e-ticket at the platform, most passengers now expect a stable cellular network for their mobile phones when in a station. Seamless connectivity is essential no matter if the commuter is just starting their journey or having just stepped off their train. This can be established through in-building coverage and distributed antenna systems found throughout the station. The infrastructure can also support Wi-Fi applications through wireless networks that ensure optimal data communication for staff and commuters alike.
Important devices and technologies such as video surveillance cameras (CCTV), passenger information systems (PIS), displays or ticketing machines found in stations must also be connected to the operator’s optical communication network. Through on-board and trackside technologies, data can be transmitted from train to station to ensure up-to-date information is given to rail staff and commuters ahead of its arrival. This in turn improves the customer experience of those at the station, giving them the tools to accurately track their train, reserve seats and gain an understanding of which carriages are the busiest.
Enhancing services through real-time data transmission
These devices are also essential to the running of control centers – the area that holds all signalling equipment, ancillaries and operators. Typically, there are a range of control center types found within rail systems. For train stations and mission-critical infrastructure equipment, data is collected from remote devices located in-station or trackside to enable real-time monitoring of equipment such as ticket machines, passenger counting systems, power sub stations, level crossings and much more.
The devices found at trackside also generate conditional data, which is sent to the control center operators. This can be used to quickly detect when failures or disruptions occur on a rail line and enable a fast response. Condition-based maintenance can also be scheduled based on the data provided by trackside solutions, reducing overall maintenance costs and system downtimes.
Driving innovation and digitalisation
HUBER+SUHNER continue to lead the way in trackside enhancements, providing all the components required for a reliable optical communication network infrastructure. This includes a number of antennas perfect for trackside and tunnel applications, and the transmission of conditional data. Within the carriage, the SENCITY® Spot-SR, OMNI-SR and SENCITY® RAIL ACTIVE IN-CARRIAGE antennas offer train operators a compact solution that is able to meet the special requirements of railway applications, including environmental and fire certifications.
Found at trackside and also within tunnels, SENCITY® Spot-M Yagi antennas can be deployed for enhanced WLAN and Wi-Fi connectivity. These solutions provide the required connectivity to transmit information from train to station, enabling customers to get real-time, precise timings and data relating to their service. This can include the time the train will arrive at the station, the number of passengers within each carriage and accurate ticketing information.
HUBER+SUHNER also offer connectivity solutions for the equipment rooms within control centers. Through a comprehensive offering of fiber-to-the-antenna (FTTA), power-to-the-antenna (PTTA) and hybrid-to-the-antenna (HTTA) products, operators can tailor cabling to their specific requirements. This can lead to a reduction in installation and follow-up costs, and the development of future ready cable network infrastructures capable of real-time data transmission.
Related Products:
SENCITY® SPOT-M YAGI: Directional high gain WLAN / WiFi antenna for railway trackside and tunnel applications.
SENCITY® SPOT-SR: Compact directional railway in-carriage antenna family for all types of trains. Designed to meet the special requirements of railway applications including environmental and fire certifications.
SENCITY® Rail Excel antenna: compatible with point-to-point trackside or tunnel mounted antennas for high throughput
2-Way Reactive Power Splitter: (Splitter Loss 3dB) for LTE 2.3 GHz, LTE 2.6 GHz, WIFI 2.4 GHz, LTE 3.5 GHz, Public Security 4.9 GHz and Wi-Fi 5GHz.
SUCOFEED cables: ideal for indoor DAS installations and promise optimal shielding, low attenuation, low VSWR, high-quality performance and flexibility for easy handling and installation.
