On the suitability of public mobile networks for supporting train control/management systems

Telecommunications are strategic for train control system operations. The European ERTMS/ETCS system for high speed trains control utilizes dedicated GSM-R mobile network(s). The costs for deployment and maintenance of GSM-R network are not sustainable for the extension of train control to low/medium traffic lines. This paper investigates on the possibility of replacing dedicated mobile radio infrastructures with the radio network integrating one (or more) existing PLMNs and satellite as backup. A methodology for performance assessment is presented and applied to the study of network availability and operational costs. Availability can be improved by allowing train to intelligently select the public network(s) time by time. Operational costs are dictated by the satellite component which may become essential in rural areas. Looking at the European scenario, a discussion on the extension of the Euroradio protocol to operate over multi-bearer mobile network is also presented.