The TETRA communications infrastructure for the new metro Line 4 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has been deployed by Kapsch CarrierCom – the Austrian public transport and telecoms solutions company – just in time for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The Line 4 network, which started operating on 1 August, was delivered by Kapsch from planning to design and deployment in cooperation with Rohill. The TETRA infrastructure was integrated with the existing Lines 1 and 2 and third line support. Kapsch has provided four base stations, 60 in-train cab radios, 21 optical repeaters and 140 hand-held portable radios.
Cobham Wireless, formerly Axell Wireless, has installed a distributed antenna system solution for indoor coverage. This includes tunnel, technical rooms and platforms. Schnoor, a radio technology and communication systems company, delivered the cabin radio solution for trains with a public announcement interface.
Line 4 will intercommunicate the beachside neighborhood of Ipanema/Leblon with Barra de Tijuca, home to Barra Olympic Park, in 13 minutes (its route is shown in the second image below). Barra Olympic Park will be the heart of Games with nine venues hosting 16 Olympic and nine Paralympic sports, alongside the Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre.
The new network will help manage more than 300,000 passengers per day and will take almost 2,000 cars off the road during rush hour with 15 trains serving six major stations over 16 kilometers of Line 4. During the 2016 Olympic Games, the metro line will contribute to make travelling faster and more convenient in Brazil’s second largest city with approximately 6.5 million inhabitants.
At the beginning of 2015, Kapsch CarrierCom was selected by project lead ENG to deliver the TETRA network for Line 4 with an implementation deadline set for tomorrow (August 5) – the start of the 2016 Olympic Games.
TETRA offers voice and data connectivity that is dedicated, secure and highly reliable, ensuring optimal network performance. It facilitates communication for the operator, transmits relevant operational data, and thus makes a key contribution to an increasing passenger safety and efficiency.
Thomas Schöpf, COO of Kapsch CarrierCom said: “It was challenging to finish the project in time for the upcoming Olympic Games. But thanks to our deep understanding of the communications needs of public transport operators as well as extensive experience of planning, building and operating TETRA networks, our team has managed to deliver this mission-critical solution in time.”
“Kapsch was able to design a solution that fully meets our requirements in terms of implementation, service and functionality,” commented Pedro Augusto da Silva, director of Metro Barra – the metro in the district Barra da Tijuca of Rio De Janeiro, where the Olympic Park is located. “As a result of Kapsch’s committed effort, the new metro Line 4 has started operating just in time for the Olympics.”
