TES contracted by Bombardier as telecommunications consultants on metro do Porto in Portugal

Keith Edwards of TES offers an overview of the communication project awarded by Bombardier Transportation, to design, install and fully commission the telecommunication system on Portugal’s Metro Do Porto.

TES has been appointed as telecommunication design consultants by Bombardier to supply and oversee the entire installation and commissioning of and 11 site ‘trunked’ radio system on Portugal’s prestigious Metro do Porto light rail system.

Located in northern Portugal, the light rail transit system connects nine municipalities in the Oporto region. Comprising four lines over a length of 60km and serving 78 stations with 72 Bombardier* FLEXITY* Outlook vehicles, the system often carried over 20,300 passengers every hour, in each direction. The first phase of Metro do Porto light rail transit system was awarded in 1998 to the Normetro consortium, with Bombardier being responsible for delivering its CITYFLO 250 traffic management system, the traffic control room and the design and equipment for the maintenance depot. The system is now fully operational and a new line connecting to the airport has also been opened.

In May 2006 Bombardier Transportation, in partnership with a consortium including Vossioh-Kiepe, won a further order from Metro do Porto in Portugal for the delivery of 30 bi-directional Bombardier FLEXITY Swift low-floor light rail vehicles.

Vital communication links – above and below ground

Bombardier Transportation has undertaken this turnkey project with the assistance of TES as their sole radio telecommunications contractor.

Radio coverage has to be 100% for all track, both underground and aboveground sections, with maintained minimum signal levels to ensure clear crisp telecommunications, wherever trains or operators are located.

TES has also been commissioned to design and implement sophisticated tunnel telecommunications systems which need to be integrated with the rest of the network. These systems provide radio coverage on all underground platforms, and the numerous levels of each station, for hand portable use.

Additionally, TES will provide bespoke terminal control solutions for use by Metro do Porto, allowing control room staff to have clearly defined train telecommunication on a ‘per line’ basis.

The communication design work will involve verification that the technology deployed for voice communications is suitable for operational needs. This work requires an assessment of available technologies and comparisons between them. It is clear that MPT trunked radio meets the needs of Metro do Porto, as it provides a scalable network solution with proven reliability and performance. This type of communications design has been implemented by TES on similar state-of-the-art systems such as the Nottingham Express Transit and Metrolink in Manchester, both in the UK.

The system is required to provide voice communications on a command and control basis between train drivers and the Control Centre at Guifoes Depot. This design also supports emergency priority calls between drivers and PCC, which is a significant advantage when incident handling. Emergency calls are set up regardless of the demands on the system, and the network set-up will automatically manage periods of busy call loading for normal operational calls.