Finnish rail transport takes express route to TETRA

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Airbus Defence and Space, MetaPole 1, bld Jean Moulin, CS 40001 78996 Elancourt Cedex, France T: +33 (0)1 61 38 50 00 Finnish rail transport wants to switch exception is necessary because EU from GSM-R to TETRA for its critical legislation currently recognises communications – we speak to Tapio GSM-R as the only option for radio Raaska from the Finnish Transport Agency communications in rail transport. to discover why Tapio Raaska from the Finnish Transport Authority tells us more. hen something excep- sengers the best possible cover- tional happens on the age, commercial mobile operator Key Touch: What are the reasons Wrailways, a train driv- networks interfere with RAILI, for the change? er’s radio is their lifeline. With the Finnish GSM-R communica- Tapio Raaska: There are at least hundreds of passengers to pro- tion system. In the worst interfer- three reasons. The first is a tech- tect, getting permission to pro- ence areas, train drivers, shunting nical one. Over the last couple ceed from traffic control is vital. leaders, track maintenance leaders of years the commercial mobile The teams working in shunting and traffic control have been com- networks have started to inter- yards and the teams maintain- pletely cut off from each other. fere with the GSM-R system due TOUCH

ing the railway tracks also rely on To solve this, Finnish rail trans- to increased usage of broadband

IN their radio connection. port wants to move from GSM-R to radio technologies (3G, 4G). Mo- Yet in Finland, this lifeline has the TETRA based VIRVE network bile operators obviously want to not always worked as it should. and has asked the EU Commission offer a better service for train pas- In their efforts to offer train- pas for an exception to allow this. The sengers and to some extent they Finnish rail transport takes express route to TETRA

30 www.keytouch.info have not been sticking to limits is obviously a major investment. radio access as a service from the governing the provision of their The third reason is that Europe- existing VIRVE TETRA network, services near railway track areas. an railways have started a process we can dismantle our GSM-R The result has been that in to change their “technical specifi- network and reduce communica- some areas, GSM-R traffic is to- cations for interoperability” due tion system costs significantly. In- tally disturbed by commercial to changes in technology. They are terconnecting the railway traffic frequencies, resulting in a situa- trying to define a successor to the communication system with the tion where a train driver cannot current GSM-R radio system and TETRA network can meet the tech- be reached and he or she cannot the EU Commission directive that nical and functional requirements call railway traffic control. This is governs railway communications of railway communications. a very serious safety risk. in Europe is expected to change ac- The second major reason is cordingly. Finland follows and par- KT: When will the change take that the current GSM-R network ticipates in the specification pro- place? equipment is close to the end cess closely and expects to adopt TR: As soon as possible. The nec- of its lifecycle. The radio net- commonly agreed new system. essary EU derogation and procure- TOUCH work needs to be completely re- ment process will take some time,

planned and within two years KT: What advantages will be as will the changing of radios for IN almost all the equipment would gained from the change? the whole fleet of trains. Optimisti- need to be replaced with totally TR: The main advantage is the cost cally, the change will be finalised by new software and hardware. This savings; the change will save tax- the end of 2016, but it needs to done payers’ money. By purchasing the by the end of 2017 at the latest.

“Joining the VIRVE TETRA network will reduce costs significantly, while also meeting the railway’s technical requirements.” Photo: VR Group

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