News
WiFi Cross the Mersey (Rail)
(04 Oct 2018, BWCS Staff)Liverpool-based UK train operator, Merseyrail, has announced that passengers on board the new Stadler-delivered trains will soon have free internet access.
The new fleet, which is due to go into service in 2020, will be able to connect up on all 75 miles of the city-based rail system. This includes around eight miles of tunnels. The new wireless system that will enable all this to happen, is being installed by global electronics giant Panasonic. Underground stations such as Hamilton Square, Liverpool Central and Moorfields will also be hooked up.
As well as offering WiFi on board, the wireless network will feed exact passenger numbers on each train back to the control centre. According to the Serco-Abellio owned franchise, this will allow it to manage services better and ensure that the network operates at optimum capacity. This, it says, will be crucial at peak travel times or during the major sporting or cultural events.
The wireless system will also enable high-quality CCTV and voice links to and from the trains. In addition, the new Stadler-constructed rolling stock will boast power points, USB sockets and bike racks. Liverpool City Region is investing almost £500 million in the new fleet of trains.
AD Comms, a subsidiary of Panasonic, had previously installed a Leaky Feeder System in the region to ensure GSM-R coverage in the tunnels. However, this will not form part of the new network.
A statement from the council said that “Panasonic was chosen to deliver connectivity on the new trains via a competitive tendering process which saw it selected on the basis of the quality of their proposal and the value-for-money it represents for the Liverpool City Region.”
Councillor Liam Robinson, transport portfolio holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said: “The pioneering technology will help to enhance the safety and security of Merseyrail users. Wireless links between trains and our control centre will also allow us to manage capacity of the network – essential as the Liverpool City Region economy grows and demand increases.”
As ever, on-board WiFi, trackside networks, the growing market for passenger WiFi services and on-board entertainment will be the main subjects of BWCS’s WiFi on Trains Conference 2019. For more information on next year’s conference please contact Ross.Parsons@BWCS.com
The 2018 conference was sponsored by Icomera, Nomad Digital, Fluidmesh, 21Net, RADWIN and BAI Communications (www.Traincomms2018.com ).
Back