Safe and punctual rail travel requires reliable communication between train drivers and traffic control, as well as onboard staff.
The Swedish Transport Administration therefore requires that all vehicles with a driver’s cab have a GSM-R train radio installed onboard. GSM-R is the European railway train radio system. It is connected to the Swedish Transport Administration’s GSM-R network MobiSIR, to other countries’ GSM-R networks, and to the public fixed and mobile networks.
Despite the requirements, not everyone uses GSM-R telephones as they should when working on and around the railway. With a GSM-R telephone, you are automatically alerted by a Railway Emergency Call that there is “danger”, and you are automatically connected to the emergency call and can hear instructions from traffic control. In a GSM-R network, coverage, speed, and capacity are better because it is specifically adapted for train communications. However, equipment is required to support the network.
A public mobile network is not always reliable, for example when a train is standing still along the track, transmitters may be blocked by “too many users”, or coverage may be lost when natural obstacles such as mountains, tunnels, and large buildings attenuate the signals. The GSM-R network is the railway’s own mobile network, where coverage and accessibility for people working on and around the railway are the highest priority. It is particularly important that all maintenance vehicles servicing the Swedish Transport Administration’s track system always have network connectivity so that they can communicate efficiently and safely with traffic control and with other rail traffic. Accidents, stoppages, and delays in rail traffic can otherwise easily occur.
GSM-R requirements
Would you like to know more about the applicable requirements? Read more in the Swedish Transport Administration’s regulations or contact us for more information or to place an order.
Traffic safety regulations GSM-R
Rail network statement 2018
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