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WNALYSES/ by Victoria Tchouikova

leads with Baltic's first

GSM-R Compliant Railway Delivering the ultimate safety level of rail traffic is our major goal in implementing this projecr. Lithuanian RaiZwayscontinuously im• is the first and Lithuania) are all members of the European proves passenger fand cargo transportation Union. Since joining the EU, these countries by railway services. This work covers many Baltic country to comply with have made a significant contribution to becom• areas such as rails, rolling-stock, automation, ing "full-format" members of the community , and undoubtedly communica• EU Railway standards with the attendant commitment to implement tion systems. Many technological processes all EU-required standards, processes and proce• in railway services increasingly depend on dures. This list includes the implementation of the development level of information and the ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management systems. Being aware of important step towards the clear vision of System) control and signaling system utilizing an this, Lithuanian Railways gives special at• Lithuanianseamless movementRailways (LitRail)of trainsachievedacross thean interoperable GSM-R communication system. tention to modernisation and development European rail network. In a historie event, Lithua• GSM-R, the international commu• of their network. Installing nian Railways made the first GSM-R call in the nications standard for railway communications the GSM-R wireless communication system Baltic countries using GSM-R from helps to increase the efficiency and safety the would not only improve safety of rail traffic, . The call was completed on the railway by supporting reliable and secure voice but would also help to reduce operational - route which is one of Lithuania's busi• and among railway opera• costs and increase quality. Also, it I est rail lines. The event took place on June 11, tional staff, including drivers, dispatchers, train is important that the implementation of the 2009, and marked the official start of the field engineers and station controllers. GSM-R is part GSM-R system which complies with the EU pilot phase of the LitRail GSM-R project that is of the new European Rail Traffic Management i requirements clearly scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010, System (ERTMS) standard and carries signalling of Lithuania's aim to get integrated into the I when the country-wide network of 1,563 km has information directly to the train driver, enables to be in commercial operation. faster train speeds and increases traffic density butEuropeantechnicallevelCommunitytao.not only at a political I The EUR 50.5 million country-wide GSM-R while maintaining a high level of safety. GSM-R Today the communication equipment contract was signed in December 2007 be• is specified for train speeds up to 500 km/h, so it used by Lithuanian Railways is not certified tween LitRail and the Nortel/Belam Consortium. is ideally suited for the planned speed increases and does not meet requirements laid down in The deployment includes the implementation in conventional rail networks as weil as for new the Technical Regulation for Radio Equipment of a GSM-R radio communication system along high-speed routes. Most significantly GSM-R and TerminalEquipment 1,560 km (approximately 88% of the country's provides operational and commercial advantage approved' by order No. 738 of the Director rail network) of Lithuania's rail routes. The re• to railways and makes them more competitive of the Communications Regulatory Author• mainder of the railway network will be covered modes of transport in achanging environment. It ity under the Government of the Republic via a agreement with one of the local helps to reduce operational costs through ease• of Lithuania of 74 October 2002, and their public mobile operators in Lithuania. This is the of-maintenance, improved networkmanagement further usage is in contradiction with the im• first GSM-R project in the Baltic region and it will features and the ability to operate efficiently plementation of directive 7999/5/EC of the enable LitRail to comply with European Commis• using less power. For the Baltic Countries, the European Parliament and of the Council of sion (EC) railway standards and provide high• opportunity to improve transportation links with 9 March 7999 on radio equipment and tele• speed, dependable communications to help their fellow EUmembers was a major imperative communications terminal equipment and the make the railways in Lithuania faster and safer. for joining the EU. The EU similarly recognizes mutual recognition of their conformity. Thera• The June GSM-R call marked the conclusion the importance of safe and efficient transporta• dio equipment is old physically, often causes of the first successful phase of this multi-year tion links which is one of the reasons why it set problems, can hardly be used tagether with project. Now almost the entire fleet of electric up a special financing program to accelerate the the new rolling-stock. and does not comply trains is equipped with cab . The remain• modernization of the Baltic Railways. Lithuania with the requirements for high-speed (760 ing diesel locomotives and will was the first of the Baltic States to seize the km/h) rails. The implementation of wireless be ready by November 2010. The pilot line sites opportunity, announcing its tender for GSM-R in• communication system GSM-R will help to were all built by July 2009. Fifteen dispatchers frastructure in 2006. The Lithuanian government meet the requirements of EUlegislation relat• (of the 190 dispatchers to work with this equip• supported this tender and put forward local co• ed to the use of wireless communication sys• ment) were equipped with new terminals. Stage financing - in addition to European Union financ• tems in the railway industry. Thenew system 1 sites will be completed by the end of this year. ing according to the original EUrequirements. will help to increase the rail traffic safety and Altogether 603 km of tracks will be covered by reduce the risk of accidents that may cause GSM-R. Local subcontractors are used for fiber The lithuanian Railways Project injuries to people, damages to properly, and optical cable laying; also towers and containers With the Lithuanian government providing may be hazardous to the environment. Also, are manufactured by domestic manufacturers. the necessary political and financial support to plans are to expand the volume of radio com• Civil work (building foundations, make this large-scale railway modernization munication services provided to passengers erecting towers) are also being performed by process real, Lithuanian Railways turned its at• and cargo carriers, as weil as other enter• local subcontractors. tention to finding a vendor that could meet their prises related to railway operations, and to The June GSM-R call signified the first major requirements. Lithuanian Railway worked out use functions and new opportunities offered milestone on the way to Lithuanian Railways' and presented a very detailed tender proposal by GSM-R to ensure better functionality of integration into the European Railway "eco• with requirements for a turn-key solution - the communication services. system". The Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia wireless communication infraSLructure with ac-

58 Rai/way Market . CEE Review Ho. 3 2nnS NALYSES/

cess and core network, network management, Nortel's GSM-R technology will help to in• "Belam has worked with Nortel for more than locomotive cab radios and handsets, dispatch• crease railway efficiency and safety by provid• 15 years, and /'m confident that tagether we ing system and a full cycle of necessary services ing reliable and secure communications among will bring the project to a successful and - RF engineering, radio-towers , railway operational staft, including conductors, timely implementation, acting in strict com• equipment installation, and end-ta-end integra• dispatchers, train engineers and station con• pliance with the project timeline and original tion of all systems and network optimization trollers. GSM-R is also part of the European Rail tender requirements. We are combining the services based on the EIRENEI ERTMS stand• TrafficManagement System (ERTMS)standard technology, global experience and commit• ards. that combines GSM-R for voice communication ment to innovation and continuous R&D to Ta date a completely new central switching and European Train Control System (ETCS)for produce the very best solution for LitRail," site has been built close to the main railway sta• signaling systems. ERTMS carries the • said Dmitry Krupnikov, Director for Business tion in Lithuania's capital Vilnius, hosting all core Development, Belam. "The LitRail GSM-R network elements as weil as the network moni• ing information directly to the train conductor and operates traffic crossroad signals, enabling project is a good example of how telecom toring and operating center. After the comple• faster train speeds and higher traffic density can hi:dp.f region's economy, tion of the pilot line including the transmission while maintaining a high level of safety. as an effective transportation system for the network, installation and dispatcher The new network includes the Nortel All-I? busiest geographic"trade crossroads in the rollout on the pilot line track between Vilnius Voice Core solution for rail operators based on Baltic can bring untold benefits to the re• and Kaunas, the current focus is to provide the Advanced Telecommunications gion. " GSM-R coverage along the other railway tracks Nortel has over 15 years' experience with in Lithuania in accordance with the initial mid• Architecture (ATCA)platform. It provides a ro• bust carrier-grade voice network using GSM-R GSM-R mobile communications technology -2010 project date. The installation of GSM-R to deliver instant mobile com• and is currently providing GSM-R on three cab radios in the rolling stock is being managed munications benefits even at high-speeds. The continents. With close to 60 percent of more in parallel as part of the migration plan. In the system also provides the switching, mobility than 117,500 km of tracks using the GSM-R same time-, Lithuanian Railways staft will and subscriber management functions needed system, Nortel is the number one GSM-R be trained through regular classroom training as to achieve a seamless and secure operation of provider globally. Nortel has been awarded weil as through comprehensive on the job train• wireless voice service for railway operations. national GSM-R contracts in Austria, France, ing to make the future transfer of the network as And it helps reduce operational costs through Germany, Lithuania, and the UK as weil as smooth as possible. ease-of-maintenance, improved network man• large GSM-R deployments in Aigeria, China, About NT experience in GSM-R agement features and the ability to operate ef• the Czech Republic, Ita/y, India, S/ovakia, As stated in the tender references a ven• ficiently using less power. Spain, and Turkey. dar and partner for this end-ta-end turnkey project was requested by Lithuanian railways • Nortel has more than 15 years of experience geria. China, Italy, India, Siovakia, Spain and that has a lang term experience in deploy• with the GSM-R mobile communications in Turkey. ing and operating such a system. As a result technology and is currently providing GSM• • Belam, an American based company, is one of the tender process, Norte!. supported by R on three continents. With a market share of the oldest NT partners for Baltic countries Nortel Germany with their entire experience close to 60 percent of the 117,500 km of rail with its regional Baltic HQ in , Latvia. from the German railway GSM-R project, to• tracks installed using the GSM-R system, Belam used to build wireless and wireline gether with their local partner, Belam, was Nortel is the number one GSM-R provider communication networks both - for Latvian selected by Lithuanian railways. Severallong globally. Nortel has been awarded national Railways and for Lithuanian Railways under• term OEM partners of Nortel, like Sagem, GSM-R contracts in the Czech Republic, Aus• stands very weil the local Hörmann Funkwerk Kölleda or Frequentis are tria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, and the UK requirements and landscape. involved as weil. as weil as large GSM-R deployments in AI- • The Lithuanian railways GSM-R system is based on the state-of-the-art GSM/GSM• R technology - an all-IP Voice Core solution for rail operators, using the Advanced Tel• ecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) platform. The open ATCA standards are emerging as preferred foundations for advanced high performance telecommunica• tions applications. The new solution includes the switching, mobility and subscriber man• agement functions needed to achieve the seamless and secure operation of wireless voice service for railway operations. And it helps to reduce operational costs through ease-of-maintenance, improved network management features and the ability to oper• ate efficiently using less power. • The new solution provides a robust carrier• grade voice core for GSM-R infrastructure delivering instant mobile communications ben• efits even at high-speeds and it reduces drasti• cally the power consumption of the system. New generation Base Stations IBTS) designed specifically for rail operators is also included in the solutions. The new generation BTS has a dual TDMA feature which increases radio coverage and enables a reduction in the number of base stations needed, or the height of the radio masts needed. I

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