Sepura radios selected by Aurizon Rail

Aurizon Rail has contracted Sepura’s partner, Radlink Communications, to supply radios for its rail network.

Aurizon moves coal, iron ore, agricultural freight and more across Australia daily and needed to improve the communications across its vast rail system.

It has purchased 1200 Sepura SC20 hand-portable radios and 1800 SRG3900 mobile terminals to be used across its network. The SRGs will be installed across the train fleet to maintain communications along the entire network.

The new radio network is due to be operational this year and will use TETRA technology, encompassing 79 sites across rails stretching a total of 2670 kilometres. The network will link 50 coalmines and four major ports throughout central Queensland.

Aurizon’s previous radio system was more than 20 years old, so an overhaul of the facility was needed to ensure reliable, secure communications to meet their current and future operational requirements. The new system will consolidate four analog systems encompassing train control, shunting, maintenance and wayside operations into a singular cohesive TETRA network, providing the highest level of reliability and availability with no single point of failure. The new network will also deliver improved monitoring, remote diagnostics, overlapping radio coverage, GPS tracking and distress signal capabilities, enhancing control room oversight of operations and improving staff safety.

The addition of Sepura’s Short Data Application (SDA) capability is enabling the use of applications developed by Radlink for Aurizon which include geofenced automatic voice channel selection, extreme weather alerts, heat maps of radios showing identity and location, excessive speed warnings, signal strength tracking and a mobile phone client providing two-way radio access and functionality on smartphones.

“The system we are implementing for Aurizon is truly groundbreaking in terms of its sheer scale, functionality and capability. The new TETRA network will be fully integrated to operate over the Aurizon Central Queensland MPLS network and will provide greater radio coverage, increased reliability and advanced monitoring for what will be a critical communications network,” said Radlink Communication’s Project Director, Scott Manson.

The project is progressing well with construction currently ahead of schedule. Radlink successfully designed and installed 79 TETRA base stations (including two control rooms, disaster recovery trailers and 15 new tower structures) in a 14-month installation program across the remote Central Queensland landscape. Sepura has now delivered all 3000 terminals to the project with the next phase of programming and vehicle installation well underway.

“Through the experience and expertise of our partners such as Radlink, we continue to provide secure, reliable critical voice and data communication solutions for some of the world’s harshest environments,” said Doug Bowden, Senior Business Development Manager for Sepura in Australia.

Image courtesy of Sepura.

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