Wireless Networks

Major Polish GSM-R installation scheduled for August testing

Major Polish GSM-R installation scheduled for August testing

Poland’s railway infrastructure manager, PKP Polskie Linie Kolejowe (PKP PLK), is apparently close to completing the installation of a GSM-R-based system on the country’s Central Railway Line (CMK), with testing planned for later this year.

GSM-R is an international digital radio communication standard for railway operations. PKP PLK recently began erecting the final radio mast for the system, installing a telecommunications tower in Secemin, a village in south-central Poland, marking the completion of the digital radio communications infrastructure on one of the country’s most important railway lines.

News resource RailwayPRO reports that the GSM-R system contractor is a consortium consisting of tech giant Nokia Solutions and Networks, Fonon, a company that carries out and coordinates projects for railway and telecommunications infrastructure, and a company called SPC-2 that designs and constructs fibre optic lines along railway tracks.

Commissioning and the start of GSM-R testing on the Central Railway Line are scheduled for August 2026.

The enhanced safety and reliability that this system will bring to one Poland’s most important lines is further supported by an ETCS Level 2 system, which together with GSM-R, is essential for trains to operate on the Central Railway Line at speeds of 250 km/h.

The European Train Control System (ETCS) is a standardised, digital, in-cab train signalling and protection system designed to replace incompatible national systems across Europe. It is a component of The European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS), a standardised, digital, and communication-based railway signalling and speed control system designed to replace incompatible national systems.

The ETCS Level 2 system, using GSM-R as the transmission medium, continuously monitors a driver’s actions, reacts if messages and warnings are ignored, and automatically stops the train if it exceeds the permitted speed. This requires data transmission between the control centre and the train – a function provided by GSM-R.

GSM-R ensures stable communication between locomotive engineers and traffic control personnel, as well as with safety services. It also forms the basis for the implementation of ERTMS, which must be deployed on the European Union’s main transport corridors.

As RailwayPRO explains, thanks to the standardisation of systems across the EU, trains will be able to circulate freely between member states.

The Central Railway Line (CMK), with a length of 224 kilometres, connects Warsaw to the south of the country, providing fast connections to major urban centres.

The project implemented on the CMK line is part of larger ERTMS/GSM-R  initiative which covers approximately 14,000 kilometres of track and is the largest telecommunications project in the history of the PLK network.



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