Ericsson and HBL have completed integrating Kavach 4.0 with a 5G Standalone (SA) network in a Hyderabad laboratory. The work brought HBL’s train protection technology and Ericsson’s 5G SA network together in a controlled environment, where the companies could check whether the two systems work together. It forms part of a broader effort to evaluate 5G for railway communications as the sector moves towards the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS).

The integration also gives the companies a platform to evaluate railway service performance, which matters because the same communications network could serve several applications with different demands, from exchanging signaling data to carrying live video from a train.

Kavach 4.0 is India’s indigenous automatic train protection system and is certified to Safety Integrity Level 4 (SIL-4). It continuously supervises train movements to help prevent collisions and instances of trains passing a signal at danger, when a train goes past a signal that instructs it to stop.

The system also supports direct interfaces with electronic interlocking, which coordinates signals and points to set safe train routes.

Continuous supervision provides an additional layer of protection when a driver is fatigued or distracted. It also supports safer operations when visibility drops, including during dense winter fog, when signals can be harder to see.

Ericsson and HBL identified higher train speeds within the same operational section as one area for future evaluation.

The companies reported completion of the lab integration. Assessing higher speeds would require evidence from railway operations.

Signaling is one of several applications Ericsson sees for 5G SA in railways.

Source link