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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Our annual customers...

930 million tonnes

of freight784 million customer

journeys

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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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6th largest rail network globally- a lot

of area to cover

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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

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Thank you