Kapsch CarrierCom Wins Innovation Award for ERTMS Solution
Image courtesy of Kapsch CarrierCom
Austrian railway telecommunications specialist, Kapsch CarrierCom, has been awarded the Golden Laurel in the Transport and Communications category by the Polish Chief Technical Organisation Naczelna Organizacja Techniczna (NOT). Their award-winning project was the implementation of the first GSM-R (Global System for Mobile Communications Railway) network in Poland.
The newly installed railway communications system is the first European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) of the trans-European corridor in Poland. It enhances traffic safety, increases train traffic density and enables the provision of high-speed trains. In addition to the technical accomplishment, the project also proves that projects which benefit from EU subsidies can be completed within schedule.
Horst Kaufmann, Managing Director at Kapsch CarrierCom Sp. z.o.o. in Poland, said:
This award is a great achievement for us. It rewards our efforts and shows that Kapsch is a highly experienced, reliable and innovative partner in delivering state-of-the-art solutions for railway communications in Poland and worldwide.
Kapsch Global Leader in GSM-R Technology
Kapsch is the first provider to implement a railway communication system based on GSM-R in Poland. The project allowed for the full trans-border interoperability of the railway network, run by Polish railway infrastructure company PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe S.A.
In total, three complex projects have been installed on schedule: on the E20 between _owicz and Kunowice; the E30 between Legnica, Wroc_aw and Opole; and from the Legnica, Bielawa Dolna to the German border (already finalised in 2014). Their success has been due, in part, to exemplary cooperation between all stakeholders, including the local construction industry.
The Laurel of Innovation
The Laurel of Innovation 2015 is a contest to endorse innovative products, technologies, services and solutions that impact socio-economic development in Poland.
It is an annual competition organised by the Federation of Engineering Association. Dedicated to the Polish scientist and patron Stanis_aw Staszic, the award is supported by government, parliamentary, institutional, international, and media organisations.
ERTMS Connecting Europe
With ERTMS, the European Union has established a standard that puts cross-border rail transport on a unified control, command and signaling system. The primary concept of ERTMS is to proliferate individual national solutions and establish a common standard railway communication framework throughout Europe. This will go on to save on costs and improve railway safety. The system is composed of two principal elements: a standard signaling system (ETCS, European Train Control System) and GSM-R radio technology.
GSM-R System
The GSM-R system was created by the International Union of Railways (UIC), with support from the EU, in order to assist rail operators to achieve railway network interoperability, to lower operational costs, improve safety at high speeds and to deliver new services for passengers and employees.
It has been standardised by railways and industry bodies, and has delivered operational and commercial benefits to railways for over a decade. It has given them the capacity to compete in an ever evolving railway environment.
As a leading global Railway Dedicated Network (RDN) supplier, Kapsch has designed, manufactured, delivered and maintained RDN solutions for approximately 80,000 kilometers of railway tracks across Europe, Africa and Asia over nearly two decades.
