Norwegian railway strengthens communications network

Jernbaneverket, the Norwegian National Rail Administration, will soon benefit from improved communications across its railway network, supporting safe, punctual rail operations. The state-owned agency has selected Nokia Siemens Networks and Expandium to implement a quality management system that will continually assess its GSM-Railway (GSM-R) network and identify any issues for immediate troubleshooting.

“It is critical to ensure high availability and quality of a railway communications network both for the safety of our passengers and to minimize train delays while maintaining control of our operating costs,” said Svein Erik Rasmussen, commercial manager, Jernbaneverket. “Nokia Siemens Networks has already provided us with its GSM-R solution, and impressed us with its timely execution and strong support. It has now offered us a new approach, along with Expandium, to manage that network and further improve its reliability and operational efficiency.”

“Communication and control is critical to railway operators more, perhaps more so than any other enterprise. Thus we are committed to developing better solutions, driving GSM-R standardization and partnering with companies to develop products aimed at improving railway communications network,” said Terje Hoemsnes, customer team head, Nokia Siemens Networks.

“Expandium develops advanced solutions to enable railway operators to maximize their investment by making their communications network more robust, improving the safety of the passengers,” said Bernard Giner, CEO, Expandium. “In Nokia Siemens Networks, we have a partner that clearly understands the Norwegian railway authority’s concerns and brought its railway expertise to the fore to help us devise a tailor-made solution.”

The quality management system by Expandium, QATS Railway, measures the quality of service in real time and includes all the latest technologies under the European Train Control System (ETCS) and GSM-R standards. Nokia Siemens Networks will install and integrate the system into the Norwegian rail authority’s communications network and provide project management services.