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September 2009
By Robert J. Derocher
A federal stimulus package doesn't always come in the form of a grant or some other funding source. As radio and communications technology suppliers to the railroad industry are finding out, changes in federal regulations can provide a bit of shelter from the economic storm.
A push by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to implement positive train control (PTC) in five years took on greater urgency in July when the agency issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, requiring freight, commuter and intercity railroads to submit their PTC plans by next April.
Meanwhile, another federal agency — the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) — is moving ahead with its mandate stipulating that railroads and other commercial communications shift to narrowband radios by 2013, and requiring all new frequency licenses to be narrowband-only after January 2011. Moreover, railroads and radio suppliers also expect the FCC soon will require a shift to "narrow-narrowband," or all-digital radios.
"[The narrowband deadlines] are driving demand," says Chris Lougee, vice president of Icom America Inc., whose offerings include interoperable digital two-way wireless communications products. "It helps keep things stable."
Along the way, Icom America has been working with Class Is to develop new equipment and modify existing devices designed to meet the 2013 requirement and handle future digital communications upgrades.
The FCC will narrow the private land mobile radio VHF spectrum — which the rail industry uses — from 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz bands to accommodate more users.
Railroads have been telling radio technology suppliers to plan now for both 12.5 kHz (the narrowband width) and 6.25 kHz (the digital bandwidth), Lougee says.
"As an industry, the freight railroads are way ahead of other industries," he adds. "We've just started working with Amtrak and other transits."
Icom supplies products to railroads in four main areas: interoperable two-way radios; dispatch/base radios with repeaters to strengthen radio signals; vehicle radios; and clean cab radios that transmit voice and data in locomotives. Icom currently does not have a PTC equipment or technology offering, but the company is seriously considering entering the market, Lougee says.
In the meantime, the rail industry's "unique requirements" keep Icom busy customizing software and modifying existing communications equipment to ensure railroads are ready for the narrowband conversion, Lougee says, adding that many of the company's products feature Internet and Global Positioning System capability.
Icom also has joined with Kenwood USA Corp. and the Association of American Railroads' Wireless Communications Committee to develop the NXDN digital platform for 6.25 kHz technology and equipment.
The NXDN standard is quickly becoming a focus for Kenwood USA, as the company develops and markets its NEXEDGE™ digital two-way radios, mobile radios and base stations to Class Is, short lines and regionals.
"Our future plans are to provide the functionality to have many NEXEDGE radio systems linked via VoIP [Voice Over Internet Protocol] or microwave," says Barry Morris, public safety sales manager for Kenwood USA's Communications Sector. "These events may someday provide the rail industry with a true transcontinental voice radio network."
In the meantime, Kenwood USA continues to supply a variety of radio equipment to North American railroads, and intermodal and track maintenance companies. There's a steady demand for mobile, portable, base and control station two-way radio equipment, as well as control stations and equipment that is utilized for wayside detectors and locomotive clean cab radios, Morris says.
Company officials certainly have noted an economy-related slowdown in some radio equipment purchases by the railroads, Morris says, adding that they've "taken steps to ensure that we have equipment and assets available to maintain our [usual] level of support to the industry."
When it comes to supporting the rail industry in a PTC context, radio and communications suppliers definitely have their work cut out for them.
At MeteorComm, PTC work is a front-and-center focus as the company continues to nurture the development of wireless communications technology and equipment for train control systems for BNSF Railway Co. and the Alaska Railroad Corp., says Robert Turnbull, vice president of marketing and sales. MeteorComm is a wholly owned BNSF subsidiary.
In Alaska, the system is now in a pilot phase, with testing being conducted by the FRA, while BNSF continues to develop its Electronic Train Management System (ETMS) that's supported by MeteorComm radios.
Since 2003, BNSF has been developing ETMS with Wabtec Railway Electronics. Although the economy may be crimping railroad spending, the industry continues to invest in PTC and other communications technology designed to improve safety and operations, Turnbull says.
"The railroads are coming together," he adds.
In a blend of the upcoming federal PTC requirements and the switch to narrowband and digital radio technology, MeteorComm also is working with the Transportation Technology Center Inc. (TTCI) to apply MeteorComm's Software Defined Radio technology to allow for simultaneous radio transmission of voice, PTC data and advanced train control data, all on narrowband.
"You can have one radio do all of these [functions], instead of three radios," Turnbull says.
The PTC push also affords opportunities for an array of technology players to enter the market. Among them: Spectrum Bridge Inc. A little more than a year ago, the company did not exist. Now, it offers an online exchange of buyers and sellers of licensed radio spectra, which is needed to accommodate PTC.
"It's like the real estate MLS [Multiple Listing Service] of spectrum," says Rick Rotondo, Spectrum Bridge's co-founder and chief marketing officer. "We list hundreds of millions of spectra in all frequencies. We negotiate with holders and buyers of spectra and help them put deals together."
One such deal, and Spectrum Bridge's largest to date, involved BNSF's purchase of a large amount of 220 mHz narrowband frequency for the railroad's PTC efforts. Expect similar purchases to follow, Rotondo says.
"I think the other railroads are saying, ‘This is a lot of good spectra that [BNSF] is buying, we should look at getting this as well,'" he says.
Spectrum Bridge estimates that it has more than 3 billion "points of presence" in spectrum coverage available at the company's online exchange (www.specex.com). That's important because railroads need "a very large footprint" for PTC, Rotondo says.
In the meantime, the development of portable two-way radio equipment and technology continues to provide opportunities for suppliers such as RELM Wireless.
These days, much of the company's focus is centered on its line of APCO P25 equipment, which utilizes communications technology developed by public safety organizations for improved interoperable communications among emergency agencies, says Pete Rogell, director of business development. Given their exposure to hazardous accidents and terrorism, railroads also benefit from such communications.
"You've got an opportunity to talk to first responders all across the country," Rogell says.
Although most of RELM's rail business is with short lines, the company is talking more with potential Class I railroad customers, he says. And like other suppliers of communications products to the rail industry, RELM also is offering narrowband solutions to customers to satisfy the federal radio mandates. But the company is a bit more cautious when it comes to making the leap from the current 25 kHz wideband requirement all the way down to the 6.25 digital narrowband frequency.
"I see 12.5 being around for awhile," Rogell says. "People are looking for stability and better value."
At Ritron Inc., that means providing two-way clean cab communications, particularly for Class Is and short lines dealing with the upcoming narrowband requirements.
The company has developed a dual-mode radio designed to give railroads the option to upgrade to tri-mode digital operation by adding a circuit board and upgrading software.
Developing the upgradable radio was particularly important for Ritron's short line and regional customers who were looking for lower-cost solutions to deal with current radio needs, while also planning for required upgrades, says President Steve Rice.
Ritron, too, has been contacted by railroads and other companies involved in PTC efforts. But Rice declined to say how the company might respond, adding only that Ritron will continue to supply railroads with mobile radios, repeaters and wayside and crossing detector equipment.
So will other suppliers of radio and communications products and systems eager to provide solutions the rail industry wants — and needs — as railroads prepare to enter the next-level technology realm.
"It's an interesting industry. As the economy starts back up on its slow climb, we seem to be seeing more interest from [rail] customers again," says Icom America's Lougee. "We're happy to be working with them."
Robert J. Derocher is a Loudonville, N.Y.-based free-lance writer.
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