scanSydney

Read this from the Railpage website,looks like some very tall radio towers to be erected.

RAILCORP has released details of 16 digital radio towers, up to 30 metres high, to be erected in St George and Sutherland Shire.

The locations, six of which were identified last month, are Wolli Creek, Rockdale, Penshurst, Oatley, Como, Jannali, Sutherland, Kirrawee, Miranda, Caringbah, Cronulla, Loftus, Engadine, Heathcote, Waterfall and Goomera Ridge (1.5km south of Waterfall station).

To be located within the railway corridor, they will range in height from 10 to 30 metres, with most around 20 metres, and will include a concrete base and equipment cabinets.


The digital radio network finally implements a major recommendation of the special commission of inquiry into the 2003 Waterfall rail crash in which seven people died.

Evidence was given of "almost complete confusion" when the derailment occurred south of Waterfall because analogue radios were out of range. It was 16 minutes before rail controllers received the first indication of trouble and that followed mobile phone calls by passengers.

The installations are the first of 250 towers and 60 sites in tunnels across the electrified rail network, allowing communication by all train drivers, guards, controllers and signallers.

The Engadine antenna has been fixed above the roof of the station while a new mast has been added to an existing tower at Sutherland.

Residents and businesses in areas close to where the towers are being erected are notified by letter and through doorknocking.

Construction details are provided in environmental assessments, which are available on the RailCorp website.

RailCorp is obliged to consider objections, but does not need approval from any body to proceed with the work.

This is the GSM-R system replacing Metronet
The rollout from memory is being carried out by United Group
This information is all in the public domain


Grant

The GSM-R antennas are going up everywhere along the rail corridor.

This one is at Padstow. Site 70 it says on the gate.



Some info from Wikipedia.

Australia
Transport NSW is installing a Digital Train Radio System (DTRS) throughout the 1455 kilometre electrified rail network, including 66 tunnels covering 70 kilometres, bounded by Kiama, Macarthur, Lithgow, Bondi Junction and Newcastle with GSM-R to replace the existing analogue MetroNet train radio. The replacement will fulfil recommendations from the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Waterfall train accident to provide a common platform of communication for staff working on the railway. The equipment will be installed at about 250 locations and more than 60 sites in tunnels. It will cost $225 million. UGL Infrastructure Pty Ltd has been contracted to design, construct, commission and maintain the new network. It is anticipated the project will be completed in 2015. It has an expected design life of at least 15 years.


GSM-R is being implemented using frequencies in the DCS 1800 band (1800 MHz-GSM):
Uplink: 1727.5–1732.5 MHz and 1772.5–1785 MHz
Downlink: 1822.5–1827,5 MHz and 1867.5–1880 MHz

The DCS 1800 band has been divided and auctioned in paired parcels each of 2 × 2.5 MHz with duplex spacing of 95 MHz. Railroads acquired six mostly non-grouped parcels which cover 2 × 15 MHz of this frequency band in which the GSM-R projects have been implemented.

Meanwhile Telecommunication operators, the Australian Telecommunications-Regulator ACMA, and rail-operators are in a discussion about whether to free up spectrum in the DCS-1800 band for public mobile services. As of 8 March 2011 the granted licenses for GSM-R in the DCS-1800 band are due to expire between 2013 and 2015.

Mike

these are everywhere on the Syd - Newcastle line

Garry wrote:these are everywhere on the Syd - Newcastle line

That's a lot of antennas. I wonder if they'll rent mast space out to other agencies/telcos?

Mike

Can this be monitored?

Cheers

aircadet wrote:Can this be monitored?
Cheers

The short answer is no.

Melbourne Metropolitan trains have already migrated to the Digital Train Radio System (DTRS) along with Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth that will at some stage. It utilises the Global System for Mobile – Rail (GSM-R) as the underlying technology for the system. The system operates in the 1800MHz spectrum. It CANNOT be scanned, even if you have a scanner capable of receiving 1800 MHz. GSMR is based in the GSM cellular telephone system which employs a highly encrypted network. The highly encrypted control algorithm is transmitted along with the encrypted voice.

R

rustynswrail wrote:

aircadet wrote:Can this be monitored?
Cheers

The short answer is no.

Melbourne Metropolitan trains have already migrated to the Digital Train Radio System (DTRS) along with Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth that will at some stage. It utilises the Global System for Mobile – Rail (GSM-R) as the underlying technology for the system. The system operates in the 1800MHz spectrum. It CANNOT be scanned, even if you have a scanner capable of receiving 1800 MHz. GSMR is based in the GSM cellular telephone system which employs a highly encrypted network. The highly encrypted control algorithm is transmitted along with the encrypted voice.

R

Hi Russell, so was Metronet purely for train driver/signalling type comms? What will happen to the 410Mhz train station frequencies and 450.050Mhz etc. Will they stay?

Mike

Mike Alpha wrote:

rustynswrail wrote:

aircadet wrote:Can this be monitored?
Cheers

The short answer is no.
Melbourne Metropolitan trains have already migrated to the Digital Train Radio System (DTRS) along with Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth that will at some stage. It utilises the Global System for Mobile – Rail (GSM-R) as the underlying technology for the system. The system operates in the 1800MHz spectrum. It CANNOT be scanned, even if you have a scanner capable of receiving 1800 MHz. GSMR is based in the GSM cellular telephone system which employs a highly encrypted network. The highly encrypted control algorithm is transmitted along with the encrypted voice.
R

Hi Russell, so was Metronet purely for train driver/signalling type comms? What will happen to the 410Mhz train station frequencies and 450.050Mhz etc. Will they stay?
Mike

There are big changes happening now and into the future including the rollout of digital platforms other then P25.

R

These antenna poles are quite high.The first one I saw go up was at Revesby station next to the new substation.The next one I saw go up was at Holsworthy Station. I presume these will replace the direction yagis you see which operate on the 418mhz band.

John.