Teltronic to provide broadband comms for Chilean train lines

Spanish critical comms company Teltronic has been selected to supply the broadband communications network that will provide data transmission services for two new lines of Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado (EFE Trenes de Chile), Chile’s state-owned railway company responsible for passenger transport and railway infrastructure across 10 regions of the country.

The new lines will connect Chile’s capital city, Santiago de Chile, with the towns of Melipilla and Batuco, as part of a project awarded by the Chilean railway operator to Siemens Mobility for the implementation of the country’s first ETCS Level 2 system. Siemens Mobility has entrusted Teltronic with the deployment of a private 4G network that will provide coverage along the 87 km of new railway lines.

The system is 5G ready, meaning that it can evolve to 5G technology through a simple software upgrade. In addition, the infrastructure includes two control nodes, one primary and one redundant, to ensure system robustness.

Teltronic will also equip the 32 new trains that will operate on the lines with its RTP-800, a state-of-the-art radio that will enable continuous train-to-ground data transmission. The onboard solution is completed by the DCD7 touch-screen console, which has been designed to meet the stringent requirements of railway environments and allows train drivers to operate the radio controls.

The system, which is also prepared to support voice communications, will be integrated with the passenger information system, the public address system and the CCTV network, whose images will be transmitted in real time. It will also support the Level 2 ETCS railway signalling system and will therefore play a key role in the safe and efficient operation of the trains.

“This project strengthens Teltronic’s leadership position in the deployment of broadband communications networks for railway environments, with a solution that is ready to evolve to 5G — which would enable a future migration towards FRMCS implementation,” said Felipe Sanjuán, Teltronic’s Transport Business Development Director.

Image credit: EFE Trenes de Chile