Telecommunications for Sydney Trains and the Digital Train Radio System Ryan Schlegl and Christopher Go, Operational Technology Program Delivery

Presentation overview About Sydney Trains Overview of Telecommunications in Sydney Trains Requirements for Telecommunications in Sydney Trains The Operations Critical Data Network The Digital Train Radio System

1 million customer journeys per weekday 284 million customer journeys annually1 178 stations (includes 4 Airport Line stations) 2,008 electric and 560 diesel cars (includes NSW TrainLink fleet) 2,952 timetabled trips per weekday One eight-carriage train can move 1,000 customers 97.8% of trains are air-conditioned2 Operate across 961km of electrified track As at 30 June 2014

Geographic extent

Telecommunications Infrastructure Fixed and Wireless networks Operate and Maintain the majority of infrastructure 24/7 Infrastructure Control Centre ICON Central and Satellite network maintenance bases

Cables >2500km of Copper cable between approximately 5860 distribution frames >2100km of Fibre cables of sizes ranging between 6 and 240 cores

Facilities >300 dedicated rooms/buildings for telecommunications equipment > 350 MetroNet train radio and other radio base stations 22 microwave and radio towers

Channel MUX network > 600 Channel MUXs > 150 SDH nodes 12 Microwave links Supports: MetroNet Train Radio System, Train control, operations and emergency telephony Modem based low speed data applications including train signalling telemetry

Operations Critical Data Network and Digital Train Radio System Operations Critical Data Network, commissioned in 2014 to support the DTRS and Automated Train Protection (ATP) as well as high speed data applications Digital Train Radio System, replacing the MetroNet system with GSM-R technology also supporting ATP

Train Control, Operational Security (CCTV), Condition Monitoring Railway Applications ATP, Electrical SCADA, Train and Operational Radio, Operational telephony, Passenger Information/Ticketing, Train Control, Operational Security (CCTV), Condition Monitoring

Telecommunications requirements Part of the railway and TfNSW system Demonstrate RAMS (EN 50126) Controls for security and other hazards to railway applications (EN 50159) NSW Government DISP, TfNSW and Sydney Trains policy, ISMS Legislation and Australian Standards System lifecycle is cost efficient Reliability Availability Maintainability and Safety Digital Information Security Policy

Rail Standards Sydney Trains is an Authorised Engineering Organisation for Transport for NSW Includes Telecommunications Standards describing requirements available www.asa.transport.nsw.gov.au

How we meet our requirements Engineering design and configuration management

How we meet our requirements Verification and Validation, Testing

How we meet our requirements Maintenance Monitoring Asset Management continuous improvement

Future requirements Growth in Data: Growth in Criticality: Passenger Information and Security (CCTV) Fleet and Infrastructure Condition Monitoring Growth in Criticality: Automated Train Operations Internet of (Rail) Things: Data from and to the railway Lower latency (tactile) applications?

Operations Critical Data Network > 600 Points of Presence in the Sydney Trains and NSW TrainLink networks Scalable, number of PoPs and their bandwidth requirements will grow, or be segmented Multiple applications with different requirements, most requiring very high availability System whole of life costs efficient including fibre usage

Operations Critical Data Network Open standards, Multi-vendor interoperation IP access network MPLS core DWDM transmission Strict configuration control and monitoring

OCDN Architecture Section 1 Core A Core B E1 E1 A2 A1 C1 Site N in S1 PA CA C1 Site N in S1 PA CA C1 PA Site in S1 CA CA Site 2 in S1 Section N C2 C2 Core EN EN A1 A2 PA Site in SN CA CA

Operations Critical Data Network Services Virtual routed network service with gigabit access Traffic prioritisation and reserved bandwidth to guarantee performance High availability with redundancy built into the network

Digital Train Radio System (DTRS) Train Radio Needs GSM-R Functionalities Telecom Services Railway Aspect DTRS Architecture Transition What’s Next

Train Radio Needs Trains in revenue service must have operational train radio to allow train crew and Network Control Officers (NCOs) to communicate Electric fleet trains use an analogue trunked radio system (MetroNet) - nearing end of serviceable life The DTRS will replace MetroNet with a new radio system based on the European GSM-Rail standard All this with greater efficiency 22

Train Radio Needs –cont’d Waterfall Recommendation 38 There must be compatibility of communications systems throughout the rail network. It is essential that all train drivers, train controllers, signallers, train guards and supervisors of trackside work gangs in New South Wales are able to communicate using the same technology. Waterfall Recommendation 46 There should be interoperability of communications equipment between all trains operating on the New South Wales rail network. All this with greater efficiency 23

Industry Background 20 Systems 9 radio platforms

GSM-R spectrum around the world Europe More the 30 countries decided to use the "standard" GSM-R band. It is called the R-GSM band Uplink: 876 – 880 MHz Downlink: 921 – 925 MHz China and South Africa countries use the called the E-GSM band Uplink: 885 – 889 MHz Downlink: 930 – 934 MHz Australia using frequencies in the DCS 1800 band (1800 MHz-GSM): Uplink: 1770 – 1785 MHz Downlink: 1865 – 1880  MHz We have more than triple of Europe’s spectrum! All this with greater efficiency 25

GSM-R Functionalities eMLPP VBS VGCS Telecom. Services / ASCI ETSI Functional Addressing Pres. of Functional Numbers Access Matrix Location Dependent Addressing Railway Operation Aspects Voice / Data Wireless Carrier GSM Controller – Driver Operational Communications Emergency Area Broadcast Train Support Communication Local Communication at Stations and Depots Wide Area Communications Passenger Services Automatic Train Control Trackside Maintenance Remote Control Shunting Railway Applications EIRENE MORANE Conf. of High Priority Calls National GSM-R application

Telecom Services National GSM-R application Controller – Driver Operational Communications Automatic Train Control Trackside Maintenance Remote Control Shunting Railway Applications Emergency Area Broadcast Train Support Communication EIRENE MORANE Local Communication at Stations and Depots Wide Area Communications Passenger Services Railway Operation Aspects Functional Addressing Pres. of Functional Numbers Access Matrix Location Dependent Addressing Conf. of High Priority Calls Telecom. Services / ASCI eMLPP VBS VGCS ETSI GSM Voice / Data Wireless Carrier ETSI specifies eMLPP, VBS and VGCS Advanced Speech Call Item

Enhanced Multi-Level Precedence and Pre-emption service (eMLPP) The eMLPP service has two parts: Precedence Pre-emption. Precedence: assigning a priority level to a call. Pre-emption: Higher level precedence seizing resources which are in use by a call of a lower precedence (in the absence of idle resources) disconnection of an on-going call of lower precedence to accept an incoming call of higher precedence. Applies for : Mobile originating call Mobile terminated call Voice group call and Voice broadcast call. A -Ongoing PtP call (Priority 4) Voice call MSC Server User C User A 2. Notification Ptp Call(Priority 2) 3. Setup (Priority 2) 1. PtP call (Priority 2) User B

Voice Broadcast Service (VBS) unidirectional speech simultaneously to all other “intended” subscribers “intended” subscribers are identified by a subscription to the applicable group ID. eMLPP service is applicable for VBS Entitled users are listeners for all the VBS duration. cell Group of cells MSC Non-entitled Users will not join the Group call VGCS call initiator The NCO dispatcher initiates a VGCS call in its area The NCO area is call GCA Group Call area Dispatcher

Voice Group Call Service (VGCS) Entitled user can speak thanks to a token given by the network VGCS: enables a calling service subscriber or calling dispatcher to establish a voice group call (press-to-talk fashion) to destination subscribers belonging to a predefined group call area and group ID. eMLPP service is applicable for VGCS cell Group of cells MSC Non-entitled Users will not join the Group call Entitled users are listeners at this point of time VGCS call initiator The initiator can speak by using the PTT button Dispatcher

GSM-R Functionalities eMLPP VBS VGCS Telecom. Services / ASCI ETSI Functional Addressing Pres. of Functional Numbers Access Matrix Location Dependent Addressing Railway Operation Aspects Voice / Data Wireless Carrier GSM Controller – Driver Operational Communications Emergency Area Broadcast Train Support Communication Local Communication at Stations and Depots Wide Area Communications Passenger Services Automatic Train Control Trackside Maintenance Remote Control Shunting Railway Applications EIRENE MORANE Conf. of High Priority Calls National GSM-R application

Railway Operation Aspect The Rail Operation aspect includes; Functional Addressing Location Dependent Addressing Presentation of Functional Numbers Access Matrix

Functional Addressing (FA) I need to talk to the Lead Driver of train #456 Allows users to call a “Functional Number” that represent a railway function in the Railways network. (E.g.: a driver, a controller or a running trip number) 456 Calling by Function GSM-R Network Lead Driver MSISDN 61 1 79 555 4444 Functional Addressing (FA) I’m starting my shift and I have to register my cab radio to the FN of the train I’m driving today NSS BSS GSM-R 456 GSM-R Network New mapping will be stored in the GSM-R database Lead Driver Train FN MSISDN:61 179 555 4444 Registration Management Registration of Functional Role

Location Dependant Addressing (LDA) 00617545-961234 Cell 1: 1200 Cell 5: 1200 Cell 2: 1200 Cell 3: 1200 Cell 4: 1200 I need to speak to the nearest controller. So I have to dial the Short Code “1200”. Dispatcher C phone 456 MSC Setup (Cellid, CdPa1200, FN..) 00617545-967037 Database 00617545-967037 Mapping of Short Code “1200” and Location Area/CellID “Cell 1” to Destination Number “00617545-967037”

Presentation of Functional Number Allows Train Drivers and NCOs to be called by their Functional Number instead of the GSM MSISDN number. E.g the Signaller may call the leading driver; Lead Driver of the Trip running Train 12345333 located in its area of responsibility

Access Matrix Security team The access matrix defines which subscribers are able to contact which other subscribers within the EIRENE network No 456 Yes Core Network Running train Security team No No Yes Yes Admin Shunting team Dispatcher

DTRS Architecture

DTRS Layers OCDN Applications Dispatching communication Shunting Voice Group Call Network Management Security Core Network OTA CCBS MGW BSC MGW HLR VAS MSC SMS-C Recording System Dispatcher System Transport OCDN Access Network Terminal Operational Mobile General Mobile Cab Radio Dispatcher Terminal

How do we transition? Certain trains (Tangaras) are dual-fitted Retain current analogue radio Equip new GSM-R radio NCOs are dual-fitted Retain current analogue radio terminal Equip new GSM-R dispatcher terminal Stage 1: Initial Operational Sector -> allows introduction of DTRS into revenue service Stage 2: Complete fixed network infrastructure, then Roll out single-fit trains -> change radio from analogue to GSM-R

What’s next Utilise the network for other applications: Wayside telemetry (wireless bearer) Consolidation of disparate radio systems (station radios, trackside radios, yard radios) Foundation for LTE Same spectrum band Towers, antenna footprint Some base stations upgradeable