The Customer

Western Rail is one of three urban rail operations in Mumbai. The company makes 1,000 trips per day, moving 3,000,000 people on 75 trains and covering 67 kilometres of busy rail track. In the past serious train accidents have occurred because of poor communications.

The Challenge

Operating an effective urban rail system requires state of the art communication. Unscheduled train stops need to be communicated quickly to avoid accidents. Tait has supplied a two-site, fi ve channel trunked radio system to Western Rail.

The 300MHz system provides communication over the 67 kilometres of track. The advanced communications system has been customised to work with Western Rail's computerised train management system.

Rail control staff use line connected despatchers to contact any train by its number, the trip number or individual radio number.
A range of call types - including emergency calls - have been customised for Western Rail.

All the trains have been fi tted with two Tait full duplex radios, each operated by customised keypads with large keys all programmed with tailored functions for easy use.

The Solution

Train staff can also use the duplex radios to call their dispatcher or place phone calls through the office PABX and into the wider Mumbai phone
network.

The trunked radio network currently comprises two sites linked by fibre optic cables. This can be expanded as Western Rail intends to use portable radios on its rail network.

Extra sites will be required to provide extensive coverage for portable radios and there is also the prospect of extending the system to cover additional areas of track.

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