Tailored GSM-R training for those working on railway networks

The Wray Castle GSM-R Engineering Overview is a unique course tailored to those involved in railway networks and GSM-R.

GSM-R is the railway enhanced version of GSM - the Global System for Mobile communications. Originally a European initiative promoted by the International Union of Railways (UIC) to provide seamless pan-European radio communications for railway traffic traversing international borders. The UIC collaborated with ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) to specify a system that has now been adopted worldwide.

The Wray Castle course introduces the work of the UIC and ETSI in developing a standards based technology specifically for railway operators. It introduces the student to GSM, so no prior knowledge of mobile communications is needed. It looks at the GSM network architecture explaining the building blocks of the network and operation. Then, the student is introduced to how the GSM technology can be adapted to make it railway specific and is essential information for engineers.

Railway communications is specialised with terminology that originates from the days of steam. GSM-R conversely is a modern technology. The marriage between old and new is explained to give the student a thorough understanding of how GSM-R works in practical terms. Descriptions of different types of calls are discussed, including; point-to-point calls, group calls, the registration procedure, operational texts as well as the Railway Emergency Call.

GSM-R uses radio so the student is introduced to the theory or radio therefore no prior knowledge is required. The course explains the issues of using radio in a railway environment. Useful for those involved in planning and dealing with interference issues.

For those looking for more detail the course analyses the signalling flows to support the various types of railway radio traffic. This is an important aspect for engineers working with GSM-R.

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