bryan nye oam, australasian railway association - discovering the australian rail industry’s...
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www.ara.net.au
ABN 64 217 302 489
Spectrum and the
Australian rail industry
Bryan Nye OAM
11 August 2014
www.ara.net.au
Importance of securing radio
spectrum allocation
Telecommunications are paramount to effective
operations of Rail
Radio spectrum is critical for the provision of these
telecommunication systems
Rail Industry access to the required spectrum
needed to be secured on an ongoing basis
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Passengers
Urban Passenger Rail 767.68 million journeys in 2012
(11.8% increase since 2008)
Non-Urban Passenger Rail 16.51 million journeys in 2012
(23.4% increase since 2008)
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Freight task to double within 20 years
409 million
794 million
2011 2031
Total freight moved in NSW /year (million tonnes)
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Rail Industry: Size
• Labour force: 44,210 people
(+70,000 working in industries supporting
rail)
• Investment commitments in rollingstock
and track $36 billion
• Track 44,262 km in Australia
• Over 2,276 locomotives and 32,000
wagons and carriages
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Background to Securing Allocation
Rail Industry requires bandwidth within both:
400 MHz range
1800 MHz range
Two Australian Communications and Media
Authority (ACMA) processes needed to be
addressed:
ACMA – The Way Ahead – Decisions and
Implementation Options for the 400MHz
ACMA- 1800 MHz—A shared strategy
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400 MHz- Why needed?
• Command and Control
• Worksite and station, train shunting
and train movements communications
• Passenger information, security
• Train condition monitoring alerts
• Safe rail operations
• Prevent Incidents
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400 MHz- Bandwidth
ACMA proposed to:
• Reduce bandwidth of allocations from 25kHz
to 12.5KHz
• Consolidate government usage in 403-430
MHz
• Priority use of ‘government only’ band
• Pricing mechanisms to discourage inefficient
use of spectrum
• Shift management of spectrum bands to users
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400 MHz- Issues to be overcome
• Differing radio and communications systems
throughout rail industry
• ACMA Transition plan timing issues
• Rail regulatory obligations
• Need to reprogram existing radios
(locomotives, based stations, shunt yards and
train control centres)
• Coordination of Below Rail and Above Rail
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400 MHz- Progress
• Working collectively to ensure rail
industry’s needs are met
• Dealing constructively with ACMA
for the benefit of members
• Phase 1-3 deadlines discussed on
an ongoing basis with ACMA
• Rail has also secured 5 additional
‘Simplex’ channels for rail industry
only use
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400 MHz- Simplex Channels
• Rail industry lobbied for and received 5 additional
‘Simplex’ channels for use across Australia
– Ambulatory services expected to be the dominant use
– Some fixed use also
• Rail industry is working with ACMA to determine
standard working practices around these
channels
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• Bandwidth required to deploy new train protection and
control systems
• Current rail licences were not guaranteed to continue, as
ACMA intended to introduce pricing mechanisms to
discourage inefficient use of spectrum
• Existing licences were set to expire mid 2013 and mid
2015
• Rail was potentially facing having to compete at open
auction for its existing licences
1800 MHz Spectrum
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1800 MHz- Outcome
• The Federal Government in July 2013 announced
its intention to renew those licenses held by state
rail authorities at a 50 per cent discounted rate.
• The effect of the discounted rate is to save the rail
industry over $30 million nationally.
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1800 MHz- Outcome (2)
• The Australasian Railway
Association led rail industry efforts to
secure the re-issue to rail operators
at a discounted price.
• The discount is to reflect the greater
public interest that the use of this
spectrum by rail operators provides.
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1800 MHz- Benefits
• The securing of this spectrum, specifically allows for the
use of next generation rail control and safety systems to
meet the growth in passenger and freight rail services
over time.
• These systems can boost rail capacity on existing
infrastructure by up to forty per cent, potentially delaying
the need for ‘hard’ infrastructure extensions and
duplications in some circumstances.
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1800 MHz- Benefits (2)
• Public transport has limited financial capability
to cost recover spectrum allocation when
compared to the commercial
telecommunications industry.
• The allocations allow for certainty of long term
investments in rail infrastructure, both
passenger and freight.
• Growth in urban transport networks, High
Speed Rail and Light Rail projects all
potentially benefit in the future.
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Where to from here
• Managing the 400 MHz and 1800 MHz
allocations on an ongoing basis
• Determining what is and what is not ‘rail
usage’ to advise regulators in their
determinations, when new users seek
bandwidths within rail’s allocation
• Remaining a strong voice for the rail industry
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ARA Working Groups going forward
• Spectrum Committee
• Hunter Valley Working Group
• Queensland Working Group
• Victoria Working Group
• SA Working Group
• WA Working Group
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Rail – A bright future
• Investment in national network
• Funding for urban projects – Cross City Tunnel, Melbourne Metro, electrification of Adelaide’ s urban network, Perth expansion
• Untangling freight and passenger networks
• New train control technology (ATMS)(GSMR)
• Light Rail emergence
• Intermodals being developed
• Inland Rail
• High Speed Rail