Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Cutbacks delay railway system

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 23 Oct 2003 00:46:58 -0400

Cutbacks delay railway system
By Emma Nash [22-10-2003]
GSM-R network plans have been put back to 2010

Network Rail is to delay
the installation of a
mobile communications
system that will
improve train safety
and performance
because of budget
constraints.
The GSM-Railway
(GSM-R) network will be
used to provide better
and more consistent
links between drivers
and signallers, and was
scheduled to be fully
operational by 2008.
But the Strategic Rail
Authority (SRA) has
ordered Network Rail to

cut costs and the company has been forced to re-evaluate the GSM-R system.
'We had envisaged a plan by which we would power through the implementation
schedule and it would be installed by 2006, and operational by 2008,' said
Madelene Klaasen-Bos, head of communications for the GSM-R project at Network
Rail.

'Now the SRA has asked us to spend less money and we will be slowing down the
overall implementation, so it looks more like 2010 before it is rolled out,' she
said.

Train passengers will be disappointed by the delay, says Alison Kerry, spokeswoman
for the Rail Passengers Council.  'Obviously passengers' main priority is safety,
and the other is performance,' she said.

'This technology would mean that core communication could hopefully improve
Network Rail's performance, so it would be disappointing for passengers to have to
wait. The sooner Network Rail can implement this, the better.'

The government has decided instead to extend the longevity of the four existing
radio frequencies used on the network, according to the Association of Train
Operating Companies (ATOC).

'The government was going to turn off these frequencies,' said ATOC spokesman Jay
Merritt. 'However, they've decided to extend that. Combined with the fact that the
cash is tight, they've decided to stick with it.' GSM-R will also provide the
basis for the £3.7bn European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), a
continent-wide safety and interoperability system recommended in the Cullen report
into the Ladbroke Grove crash in October 1999.

ERTMS, due to be in place by 2010, will use GSM to record high-speed train
positions, and apply automatic braking systems if locomotives are too close
together.

'GSM-R will provide us with the key communications we need between drivers and
signallers, but also the core system for the introduction of ERTMS,' said
Klaasen-Bos.

What is GSM-R?

GSM-R is a customised version of the mobile GSM network that will provide a more
accurate and consistent link between drivers and signallers. The technology will
also be used for the European Rail Traffic Management System, designed to monitor
high-speed trains and apply automatic braking if they are too close together.

http://www.computing.co.uk/News/1145280

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Rent DVDs from home.
Over 14,500 titles. Free Shipping
& No Late Fees. Try Netflix for FREE!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mk9osC/hP.FAA/3jkFAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/