Wireless Communication Systems for Urban Transport

This chapter describes the main features of the wireless communication systems of urban rail and related applications. The perspective will be complete: application, network and physical layers will be discussed. Moreover, to properly address some of the challenges that these systems face, we will provide a deep insight into propagation issues related to tunnels and urban areas. Finally, a detailed survey on the directions of research on all these topics will be provided

Transmission-Based Signaling Systems

In this chapter, we describe the principal communication systems applied to the transmission-based signaling (TBS) systems for railways. Typical examples are communication-based train control (CBTC), European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), and distance to go (DTG). Moreover, to properly address some of the challenges that need to face these systems, we will provide a deep insight on propagation issues related to all the environments (urban, suburban, rural, tunnel, etc.). We will highlight all the communication-related issues and the operational as well. Finally, a detailed survey on the directions of research on all these topics is provided, in order to properly cover this interesting subject. In this research, hot topics like virtual coupling are explained as well

A survey on future railway radio communications services: challenges and opportunities

Radio communications is one of the most disruptive technologies in railways, enabling a huge set of value-added services that greatly improve many aspects of railways, making them more efficient, safer, and profitable. Lately, some major technologies like ERTMS for high-speed railways and CBTC for subways have made possible a reduction of headway and increased safety never before seen in this field. The railway industry is now looking at wireless communications with great interest, and this can be seen in many projects around the world. Thus, railway radio communications is again a flourishing field, with a lot of research and many things to be done. This survey article explains both opportunities and challenges to be addressed by the railway sector in order to obtain all the possible benefits of the latest radio technologies

Influence of polarization on keyhole probability on a MIMO-OFDM train-to-wayside system on tunnels

This paper presents a deep insight on a real implementation of a train-to-wayside broadband radio on subway tunnels that makes use of a 2x2 MIMO-OFDM setup. A keyhole is a phenomenon that usually happens in tunnels and that seriously degrades channel?s capacity, even if both transmitter and receiver antennas are uncorrelated. The main purpose of this paper is to study in detail the influence of the polarization in the probability of having a keyhole on a MIMOOFDM train-to-wayside communication system on a tunnel. MIMO keyholes are studied in four different polarization setups, six different tunnels cross-sections and, finally, capacity results are provided

Broadband radio communications in subway stations and tunnels

Broadband radio communication systems are very important for railway traffic control systems and passengers network services. Nowadays, even though 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) has deployed for commercial use with excellent results in open areas, it is still lack of knowledge regarding to how such broadband signals propagate inside complex environments with many complex structures that affect propagation such as subway tunnels and stations. For this reason, the aim of the presented measurements in this paper is to model the response of the broadband channel at 1000 MHz and 2450 MHz in the subway environments. These measurements focus on three types of scenarios: subway stations, straight tunnels and a train effect the signal. The results provide detailed information about the propagation channel, which can be useful to develop a broadband propagation model for underground communication systems

Measurements of a MIMO train-to-wayside communication system on tunnels

This paper presents a deep insight on a real implementation of a train-to-wayside radio on subway tunnels that makes use of a 2x2 MIMO-OFDM setup. The following parameters on the performance of such a system are investigated: polarization diversity, antenna separation, tunnel cross-section influence and MIMO capacity. Moreover, two different channel matrices have been calculated, assuming uniform power allocation and performing the waterfilling algorithm. Finally, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the feasibility of a real MIMO-based train-to-wayside broadband radio. Measurements were carried out on Line 3 of Metro de Madrid, Spain

Keyhole estimation of a MIMO-OFDM train-to-wayside communication system on subway tunnels

This letter presents a deep insight on a real implementation of a train-to-wayside radio on subway tunnels that makes use of a 2 2 multiple-input?multiple-output orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (MIMO-OFDM) setup. The main purpose of this letter is to study in detail the keyhole phenomenon of an MIMO-OFDM train-to-wayside communication system on a tunnel. MIMO keyholes are studied in different tunnels sections, and capacity results are provided. Moreover, we introduce the first keyhole measurements on a railway tunnel. Finally, we follow a quantitative approach to estimate keyhole probabilities on each tunnel stretch and capacity outage curves

Wideband channel modeling for mm-wave inside trains for 5G-related applications

Passenger trains and especially metro trains have been identified as one of the key scenarios for 5G deployments. The wireless channel inside a train car is reported in the frequency range between 26.5GHz and 40GHz. These bands have received a lot of interest for high-density scenarios with a high-traffic demand, two of the most relevant aspects of a 5G network. In this paper we provide a full description of the wideband channel estimating Power-Delay Profiles (PDP), Saleh-Valenzuela model parameters, time-of-arrival (TOA) ranging, and path-loss results.Moreover, the performance of an automatic clustering algorithm is evaluated. The results show a remarkable degree of coherence and general conclusions are obtained.Enabling 5G TEC2014-55735-C3-2-R is funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and also is funded by the Chinese Strategic International Cooperative Project of National key R&D Plan, 2016YFE0200200

Broadband access in complex environments: LTE on railway

This paper assesses the main challenges associated with the propagation and channel modeling of broadband radio systems in a complex environment of high speed and metropolitan railways. These challenges comprise practical simulation, modeling interferences, radio planning, test trials and performance evaluation in different railway scenarios using Long Term Evolution (LTE) as test case. This approach requires several steps; the first is the use of a radio propagation simulator based on ray-tracing techniques to accurately predict propagation. Besides the radio propagation simulator, a complete test bed has been constructed to assess LTE performance, channel propagation conditions and interference with other systems in real-world environments by means of standard-compliant LTE transmissions. Such measurement results allowed us to evaluate the propagation and performance of broadband signals and to test the suitability of LTE radio technology for complex railway scenarios