THE next step in the development of the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) as the successor to GSM-R is underway with the start of a key research project, which includes testing FRMCS technology in real track conditions.
The Horizon Europe FP2-Morane-2 project (Morane 2) will validate the latest version of the FRMCS specifications developed by the European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) and will be split across six work packages. As part of the project, the Morane 2 prototypes will be tested in three European laboratories and in real track conditions on five pilot lines, including both conventional and high-speed lines.
“Through comprehensive testing of FRMCS functions and systems, the project represents an essential step toward achieving market-ready specifications, which will be reflected in the new version of the Control Command and Signalling Technical Specifications for Interoperability (CCS TSI) in 2027,” the project partners state.
Enno Wiebe, director general of the European Rail Supply Industry Association (Unife), adds that the goal is to release the first deployable FRMCS commercial solutions soon after the completion of testing and evaluation.
Morane 2 has a budget of €13.5m and is co-funded by Europe’s Rail and the European Smart Networks and Services joint research undertaking. Work officially began on December 1 and is scheduled to take 34 months to complete.
Project consortium
The International Union of Railways (UIC) is the Morane 2 project coordinator and is leading the consortium working on the project comprising the following partners:
Unife
Railways and infrastructure managers: Adif, Banedanmark, Bane Nor, German Rail (DB InfraGO), Infrabel, Network Rail, ProRail, Italian Rail Network (RFI), Swiss Federal Railways (SBB), Trafikverket and Väylävirasto
European rail suppliers: Alstom, CAF, Ericsson, Eviden, Frequentis, Funkwerk, Hitachi Rail GTS, Kontron, Nokia, Ride On Track, Siemens, Teltronic and Viavi Solutions, and
Mobile network operators: KPN and Telia.
