Syrian Railways Modernises Communication System with Wenzel Telecommunication Equipment
Largest single order in the history of Wenzel Elektronik GmbH so far
Elmshorn, 13 January 2010
The Syrian Railways Chemins de Fer Syria (CFS) modernizes its operational communication system by equipping a number of train control centres and stations with Wenzel-MACS, the industrial PBX of Wenzel Elektronik. In this major project Wenzel Elektronik cooperates again with Nokia Siemens Network (NSN). Both partners have already had good experience with the Swedish railway company Banverket.
"The challenge in putting together a system that also meets stringent export regulations in the use of electronic components and operating software, we could clearly mastered", said Knut-Ole Jensen, head of production for Wenzel Elektronik. Moreover, the additional line equipment has been optimized in terms of extreme climatic conditions.
End of 2009 in a first phase, Wenzel Elektronik provided a telecommunication system including operator consoles for the use in 2 train control centres and 15 stations regarding the line Tartous vs. Latakia. In advance the staff of CFS and NSN has been carefully trained to operate and service the new equipment. The Wenzel-MACS system is linked intensively with other telecommunications networks of the CFS. For this it had to be seamlessly integrated in the legacy telephony infrastructure. Moreover, numerous analogue signal telephones are connected to the Wenzel-MACS system - a rather unusual situation compared to European railways. Along with the operational communication control Wenzel-MACS contains a PA system, using loudspeakers of the company Neumann Elektronik.
In 2010, other 22 stations - along the routes Aleppo vs. Rakka and Deir Ezzor vs. Kameshli - will be equipped attended with associated staff training. In case of a future migration to advanced radio networks such as GSM-R the installed Wenzel products can of course be upgraded with the corresponding GSM-R functionality.
About Syrian Railways Chemins de Fer Syria (CFS): The CFS headquarters is Aleppo. There are regular connections from Aleppo to several cities in Syria, as well as with neighbouring countries Iraq, Iran and Turkey. In 2008, the CFS transported approximately 3 million passengers. This represents an increase of 35% over previous year, and in the coming years a further passenger growth is expected. The CFS rail network covers a total length of about 2,460km. The single lines are built for an average speed of 120km/h for passenger trains and 100km/h for freight trains. By 2020, the railway company will modernize the tracks that have been built at the beginning of the 20th century as well as the sections Aleppo vs. Damascus, Aleppo vs. Latakia, Aleppo-Al vs. Qamishli, inter alia, in order to achieve higher average speeds. In addition, the network will be expanded.