When it comes to rail transportation; reliability, safety and customer experience are all key. In 2016, HUBER+SUHNER was approached by one of the world’s leading technology manufacturers to provide a passive on-board communications platform that enabled the full roll out of their new railway software. Working with McLaren Applied we developed a solution that exceeded industry standards and provided robust connectivity systems in harsh signal environments.
The project is one of a number of initiatives that has led to HUBER+SUHNER reinforcing its position as a leading provider of connected mobility solutions with an extensive rail portfolio that is currently being adopted across the global transportation industry.
CONNECTED MOBILITY FOR THE FUTURE OF RAILWAYS
The technology in public transport has come a long way over the last decade, with the industry seeing major technological advancements. Rail transportation has now become one of the most attractive forms of travel and the International Energy Agency forecasts that global passenger and freight activity will more than double by 2050.
As data connectivity demands increase and technology develops, passengers come to expect reliable and seamless connectivity wherever they go, from the train, to the station and onto their places of work or home.
With the help of HUBER+SUHNER, McLaren Applied produced the first trains in the UK that were ready for the upcoming Wi-Fi 6 and 5G technology standards. HUBER+SUHNER integrated tailored rail products from across the company’s three technology divisions including Radio Frequency (RF), Low Frequency (LF) and Fiber Optics (FO) to meet the required specifications. The project delivered a complete technology overhaul of the train including the installation of a DUAL RAILCAT7 backbone and inter-vehicle jumpers; offering up to 20 Gbps bandwidth between each carriage. This onboard infrastructure was further futureproofed for a full fiber optic backbone and inter-vehicle jumpers to enable theoretically unlimited bandwidth as active components become available to the industry.
“High-quality, reliable communications and seamless intelligent mobility is a cornerstone of our Edge, Telemetry, Control and Analytics strategy at McLaren Applied. We work at the forefront of technology innovation for transport, with our connectivity and intelligent fleet management solutions where HUBER+SUHNER are a valued supplier to our delivery. Emerging technology, such as 5G, present many opportunities for our connectivity solutions and we are confident that HUBER+SUNHER is the right supplier to support us.” Steve Hill, Business Manager Intelligent Transport at McLaren Applied
RAISING THE STANDARD IN RAILWAY
With extensive knowledge and heritage in the transportation market, HUBER+SUHNER has been able to identify and develop market-leading signalling solutions for the optimisation of network performance for high-speed vehicles in order to achieve seamless connected mobility. Through close proximity and collaboration with its customers, HUBER+SUHNER has gained an in-depth understanding of the customer needs and the industry demanded products.
Unlike other companies in the market, HUBER+SUHNER has a huge range of technology experts in different specialisms that can be leveraged to offer expertise and knowledge in a range of different vertical markets. These specialisms are brought together in-house to create bespoke solutions for customers’ individual requirements. The innovative collection of products has been customised to address the needs of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), system integrators and public transport providers worldwide.
Following the success of this project, McLaren Applied and HUBER+SUHNER immediately went on to win another railway refurbishment project in which they were responsible for upgrading the antennas to WIFI 6 on another class of trains.
Moving forward, HUBER+SUHNER will continue to develop its portfolio of rail connectivity products to address the future market challenges faced by its customers and ensure that they are prepared for the next generation demands that they are set to witness.
“At HUBER+SUHNER our ability to provide high-quality solutions that can be tailored to meet a customer’s specific requirements and needs is crucial to our business. By working closely and listening to what our customers and the industry is demanding, we are able to offer products and solutions that address the challenges they face both now and in the future.” Joel Cummings, Lead Engineer at HUBER+SUHNER.
