Cobham Wireless
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority: Keeping the Emergency Services Connected
Cobham Wireless has an ongoing working relationship with the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to provide and maintain radio communication coverage to the whole transportation system.
The Challenge
The WMATA was created by an interstate compact in 1967 to “plan, develop, build, finance, and operate a balanced regional transportation system in the national capital area”. The Metrorail system currently serves 86 stations and has 106 miles of track and, combined with Metrobus, serves a population of 5 million within a 1,500 square mile jurisdiction. The Metrorail system will eventually connect the region’s two main airports (Dulles International and Reagan National) with the new Silver Line currently under construction.
WMATA operates a Comprehensive Radio Communication System (CRCS) in the 490MHz band to service this large network. There is also the need for providing 800MHz radio coverage for 1st responders for Arlington County. This means having to ensure radio coverage in various challenging environments including underground in the metro tunnels and stations, and above ground in the various parking garages and stock yards owned and run by the authority.
Cobham Wireless has had the benefit of working closely with WMATA, being called in to support their local DC System Integrator partners to solve some of these radio coverage challenges. Since 2005 Cobham Wireless has been working closely with the authority to support the on-going augmentations and retrofits to the legacy coverage systems by offering key design support and supplying the equipment required to make this happen.
The Solution
Cobham Wireless has been able to utilize its vast global experience in Metro Solutions to provide support to our System Integrator partners on these project requirements…
