Desired by operators but often derided by passengers, onboard Wi-Fi is proving a difficult service to master. As demand for data continues to soar and places even greater strain on networks, Kevin Smith assesses what's next for train operators as they look to improve the reliability and availability of their train wireless internet offerings.
A JOINT study by the Norwegian and Swedish infrastructure managers, Jernbaneverket and Trafikverket, recommends upgrading the heavy-haul line linking Kiruna and Narvik to meet a forecast growth in traffic.
A CONSORTIUM of Qatari Diar Vinci Construction (QDVC) and Alstom was awarded a €2bn design-build contract by Qatar Railways for the Lusail light rail project at a ceremony in Paris on June 23 attended by President François Hollande of France and Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Tani, Emir of Qatar.
SPAIN's infrastructure manager, Adif, has awarded a €339m contract to a consortium led by Alstom and including Bombardier and Indra to install ETCS Level 2 signalling on two high-speed lines under construction in northwest Spain.
HUAWEI, China, says it has become the first supplier of GSM-R to pass an independent compliance and reliability test for a GSM-R Abis over IP feature after completing work with TÜV Rhienland on its 5.0 platform.
FRENCH Rail Network (RFF) and Synerail, the PPP consortium appointed by RFF in 2010 to install, operate and maintain GSM-R, have selected Kapsch CarrierCom to install an all-IP core solution based on the supplier's new R4 architecture.
GE Transportation and PowerTrunk, a subsidiary of Teltronic, Spain, have signed an agreement to provide North of Colombia Railways (Fenoco) with an Incremental Train Control System (ITCS) over a digital Tetra radio network.
CZECH infrastructure manager SŽDC has awarded Kapsch CarrierCom, Austria, two contracts to install GSM-R covering 330 route-km of lines in the central Czech Republic.
AS part of the Austrian Space Application Programme (ASAP), Austria's Research Promotion Agency (FFG) has appointed a consortium led by Vienna-based Berner & Mattner Systemtechnik to develop satellite positioning technology for rail vehicles as part of the Ditpos Rail project.
TO coincide with this week's 20th anniversary of the start of operations through the Channel Tunnel, Eurotunnel has announced the successful completion of a project to deliver mobile telephone services in the Britain - France tunnel.
