The Hindu Business Line : Indian Railways plans to deploy GSM-R network in 2 new zones

MOBILE train radio communication system in India is set to get a significant boost, with the Indian Railways planning to deploy GSM-R network in two new zones, the North Central (Delhi) and East Central (Hazipur) zones, by the first quarter of 2006.

This forms part of Indian Railways' plan to launch GSM-R networks covering 3,000 km across six sectors in a phased manner.

Based on the international mobile communication standard GSM, the network is used to integrate voice and data applications required for railway communication within a single system.

Indian Railways, considered to be one of the world's largest railway companies, operates a rail network with around 63,000 km of track and 14,000 trains that transport over a million tonne of freight and more than 14 million passengers daily.

With a GSM-R network in place, the Indian Railways will be able to improve security and enhance reliability in its railway network.

Siemens Communications has bagged the latest order to deploy GSM-R network in the two zones of the Indian Railways at a cost of Rs 57 crore. As per the contract, Siemens will be equipping 700 km of rail track in the two zones with GSM-R facilities.

With this, the global telecommunication major has won three out of the four contracts awarded by Indian Railways to set up GSM-R network, covering a total distance of 1,200 km.

For the new projects, Siemens will install the entire infrastructure for the GSM-R network and supply all the components needed for the operation. These range from switching centres, base stations, service and administration platforms to elements for data transmission from the base station to the controller and mobile handsets for the engine driver.

Siemens will also supply Indian Railways with its special product that covers specific applications for train traffic such as location dependent addressing and functional addressing. With these, the engine driver can, for example, reach the control centre at the nearest station automatically at the press of a button on his GSM-R mobile phone, without having to dial the centre separately.

GSM-R is a communication platform for voice and data services for standardised rail traffic safety. Its functions include support for the train's engineer and crew, both out on the line and at railroad stations. In Europe, GSM-R is being deployed as a consistent digital communication system for rail operations. Since it consists of self-contained networks, it is possible to configure special applications for rail traffic that enhance safety and afford smoother rail operations.

Communications experts say that in the future, data transport will account for a major share of communication traffic in GSM-R networks. Its applications will then be able to be expanded to include passenger information and entertainment, as well as service functions.

"A ticket vending machine, for example, could use GSM-R to signal that it needs to be replenished or serviced," the experts point out.

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