The communication services of future trains require hyperconnectivity between trains and track. Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS) reserved bands will not be able to cover all digital train requirements including passengers’ services. The 5GMED project adopts the idea where Infrastructure Managers (IMs) will collaborate with Railway Undertaking (RU) to facilitate the connectivity to Mobile Network Operator (MNO) communication services and vice versa (complemented with the use of satellite networks), with an architecture open to build new business models and relationships between stakeholders.

This approach encompasses an adaptative Gigabit train-to-track connectivity solution able to fit digital train requirements. The 5GMED project will demonstrate these capabilities through four representative services deployed on a TGV of SNCF (French Train Operator) in a challenging scenario: a cross-border section of the Mediterranean corridor between Figueres (Spain) and Perpignan (France).

Authors

• Jad Nasreddine, Mobile Wireless Internet (MWI), i2CAT Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
• Juan Agustí, Smart Systems Innovation, COMSA, Madrid, Spain.
• Philippe Veyssiere, Smart Connectivity and sensors, IRT Saint Exupery, Toulouse, France.
• Paul Caranton, Direction de l’Ingénierie du Matériel, SNCF Voyageurs, Le Mans, France.
• Nuria Trujillo, Hispasat, Madrid, Spain.
• Pascal Deliège, Direction Technologies, Innovation et Projets Groupe SNCF, SNCF, Saint-Denis, France.
• Luca Petrucci, Axbryd, Rome, Italy.
• Nathan Sanchiz-Viel, MINES Paris, PSL Research University, CAOR – Centre de robotique, Paris, France.
• Jean-Emmanuel Deschaud, MINES Paris, PSL Research University, CAOR – Centre de robotique, Paris, France.
• Judit Bastida, Cellnex Telecom S.A, Barcelona, Spain.
• José López Luqe, Cellnex Telecom S.A, Barcelona, Spain.
• Francisco Vázquez-Gallego, Mobile Wireless Internet (MWI), i2CAT Foundation, Barcelona, Spain.
• Manuel Alfageme Alonso, Smart Systems Innovation, COMSA, Madrid, Spain.

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You can also read this article in Zenodo or have a look at the presentation of this scientific paper by Juan Agustí from COMSA at the Workshop 3 (W3): 5G for Railways – Challenges and Opportunities for Operational and Passenger Connectivity at the IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (VTC-Spring 2023) in Florence, Italy, on 20 June, 2023.

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