USA: Chicago commuter operator Metra’s legacy 900 MHz communications system is to be upgraded to the dot16 standard, in what suppliers Siemens Mobility and Ondas Networks say is a ‘milestone’ first for a major railway.
Designed for mission-critical private industrial networks, dot16 provides an upgrade path that can increase capacity, bandwidth, security and flexibility in a modern general purpose IP network, including in challenging environments such as high speed rail and dense urban transit systems.
‘Chicago has one of the most complex railroad wireless environments in the country’, said Tobias Bauer, Head of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility North America, on December 5. ‘Our Siemens Mobility Airlink wireless platform, which incorporates the new dot16 wireless standard adopted by the Association of American Railroads, will upgrade Chicago’s legacy communications network to provide reliable, secure wireless connectivity for mission critical operations. That means enhanced data capacity and flexibility for Chicago’s rail operators and more seamless travel for the city’s commuters.’
Ondas Networks Chairman & CEO Eric Brock said ’this is an important milestone, confirming that Ondas Networks and Siemens Mobility have established a comprehensive deployment plan for the new 900 MHz wireless network for North American railroads. From here, we look forward to working closely with additional customers across the railroad sector in North America to support a broader transition.’
