Think Railways

Huawei and Alstom have announced the successful completion of the world’s first live pilot test of 4G LTE multi-services based on Communications-based Train Control (CBTC), a railway signaling system based on wireless ground-to-train communication.

The successful pilot, which covered the unified multi-service capabilities of several systems including CBTC, Passenger Information System (PIS), and closed-circuit television (CCTV), marks a major step forward in the LTE commercialization of CBTC services.

Alstom is the world’s first train manufacturer to integrate LTE 4G into its signaling system solution, the Urbalis Fluence CBTC solution, which greatly improves the suitability of eLTE, providing a converged ground-to-train wireless communication network for metro operations.

The LTE pilot project was launched after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between Huawei and Alstom in April 2014, which agreed to Huawei providing the eLTE network required for the pilot, and Alstom providing the train and LTE-compliant onboard equipment.

The pilot was carried out at metro lines near the Valenciennes commune area in France with Huawei optimizing the network planning, broadband data services, and mission critical voice trunking services, and Alstom providing the technology integration support. During the pilot, Huawei and Alstom jointly conducted several tests, including laboratory and static test on trains, dynamic test on metro tracks, and testing of eLTE multi-services capabilities.

Huawei first developed the eLTE broadband trunking solution with a focus on multimedia applications, voice trunking dispatching, and broadband data services based on 4G LTE standards to satisfy growing demands from the rail transportation industry.

Huawei’s eLTE solution enables metro operators to ensure safe train operations by leveraging eLTE-based CBTC train signals while providing mission critical voice trunking dispatching and broadband data services such as live video streaming of CCTV images and Passenger Information System (PIS). With the eLTE solution, metro operators are able to effectively reduce operation and maintenance cost as well as quickly obtain passenger information, therefore greatly improving the serviceability of trains.

To date, Huawei has signed 111 eLTE network contracts and established 53 eLTE commercial networks in more than 30 countries. Huawei’s eLTE solution has also been successfully deployed in a number of railways around the world.

Huawei’s eLTE solution, incorporating PIS and CCTV capabilities, has provided Zhengzhou Metro Line 1 with bidirectional, real-time and reliable wireless transmission channels for its ground-to-train voice, data and video services, improving the Line’s overall communication efficiency and operation capabilities. As a result, since beginning services in 2013, Zhengzhou Metro Line 1 has never encountered any major LTE equipment malfunctions.

In addition, by deploying the Huawei eLTE solution, the Shuo Huang Railway (SHR), approximately 600 kilometers in length, has been upgraded to deliver services including multi-locomotive synchronous control, train-to-ground wireless data communications, voice trunking dispatching and on-board video surveillance. As a result, Huang Shuo Railway has greatly improved its transport efficiency and increased its annual transport capacity from 200 to 350 million tons.