COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY

COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY INDEX 1. Introduction ........................
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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY

COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY

INDEX

1.

Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 4

2.

Public Transport in Mexico City .......................................................................................... 4

3.

Communication Needs in the Transport Environment ..................................................... 5

4.

Metro System: Line B and Line 12 ...................................................................................... 7

5.

Buenavista Cuatitlan Suburban Line ................................................................................ 10

6.

Light Train, Xochimilco-Tasqueña Line ............................................................................ 11

7.

Conclusions ........................................................................................................................ 12

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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY

1. Introduction

Mexico City is the national capital of Mexico and has about 30 million inhabitants. In fact, after Tokyo it is the second most populous city in the world and is categorized as a "global city" as it is one of the major financial and cultural centers in the Americas.

Due to the large expansion that Mexico City and its metropolitan area has experienced in the past years, population mobility for daily activities has increased considerably and consumes quite a bit of time. Also as the city has grown, the number of vehicles has become excessive, and it is necessary to seek other alternatives to reduce traffic congestion. In that sense, public transport is a real and sustainable option to offer greater passenger mobility.

2. Public Transport in Mexico City

Nearly a third of the 30 million inhabitants of the city use the various public transport systems on a daily basis. Among these systems, the most important networks are the underground subway, light trains, and suburban lines which connect the Federal District with adjacent states. These transport networks are briefly described below. Mexico Metro is composed of 12 lines which connect 175 stations built according to the topology and geological terrain conditions, with underground, surface level, and elevated stations. The Light Train is part of the D.F. Electric Transport Service (STE). It runs in the south of the city providing clean transportion service to the Coyoacán, Tlalpan, and Xochimilco areas. 20 vehicles operate along the line for 18 passenger stations. Finally, the Suburban Railways are considered among the most modern in the world. Today, a single 27 km line provides service from Buenavista to Cuatitlan. About 5 million users presently take advantage of this service, but the line will be extended gradually so that up to 15 million users can benefit. In addition to the mentioned networks, there are other transportation means such as buses and taxis, which are being modernized. Furthermore, the Ecobici (bicycle) service is also

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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY promoted as a clean and healthy means of transport, providing a mobility alternative for short trips. In all, it can be said that Mexico City has a good urban mobility plan, offering a wide range of transport means to meet the needs of the different user profiles.

3. Communication Needs in the Transport Environment As seen, public transport includes several services, such as buses, subways, trams, or trains. Although these systems may seem totally different, they all have common general objectives: • • • • •

Drastic reduction of journey time Easing of traffic congestion in the city Increased comfort during the trip Cost savings Pollution reduction

For the achievement of these objectives, transport systems require the support of communications systems that link the onboard equipment with wayside applications (“Train-to-Ground” communication), and that take charge of functions such as the following: Send and receive driving instructions.

Send the vehicle position data to the Control Center for tracking and display, and for more efficient management of personnel and material resources.

Monitor the status of onboard equipment and manage alarms reported to the Control Center. Transmission of events related with the signaling systems.

Broadcast messages for passengers to inform about schedules and upcoming stops.

Communications with external agencies (police, fire brigades, etc.) in emergency situations. Voice calls among maintenance personnel. Voice calls among security staff.

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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY Summarized, the indispensable requirement is that everyone involved in the operation are in continuous contact for different purposes. For these mobility environments, radio technology is essential. TETRA technology has emerged as a communication system standard for the transportation sector due to the benefits and advantages it presents. Among these are: -

A single TETRA communications network can serve all the different communication needs of public transport, ensuring the service quality of each application.

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It works in lower frequency bands than certain other technologies, which translates into savings of radio equipment hardware and civil works (shelters, towers, connections, etc.) for the network infrastructure.

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It has innate functionalities very useful to the transport sector: group calls, broadcast calls, emergency calls, ambience listening, fleet and group management, priority management, dynamic group allocation, direct mode operation, etc.

TELTRONIC, a radio equipment manufacturer for almost 40 years, provides complete solutions for the transport environment based on this technology, including infrastructure, on-board equipment, and communications control centers. In addition to the advantages provided by the technology itself, the TELTRONIC solution adds features such as: •





Redundancy: Transport communications users require 100% availability since, apart from ensuring uninterrupted service, they must also guarantee passenger safety. Thus, redundancy is a key requirement for communication systems, which should not present any vulnerable point (“No single point of failure”). Any and all elements of the TELTRONIC TETRA solution can be made redundant as desired (on-board radio equipment, modules, infrastructure connections, redundant radio coverage, etc.), providing continuous service to the users. Scalability: The areas covered by public transport networks grow as the city grows. Similarly, the number of vehicles and other necessary resources also needs to increase to meet the growing demand. A communication system such as provided TELTRONIC, and which is easily scalable and allows simple and efficient updates and upgrades, is required. Integration and Project Management: Transportation system projects always require a high level of engineering and integration. Although the communication solution is based on standard elements, success can only be guaranteed if special attention is paid to the specific aspects unique to each project (integration of onboard equipment with different vehicle models, interfaces with fleet management applications, interaction with railway signaling applications, etc.). The control TELTRONIC has over its technology, as well as the ability of its engineering and

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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY project management staff, makes it possible to offer, along with the radio equipment, a unique and reliable integration service that guarantees project success. The following sections explain how TELTRONIC has collaborated on projects for expansion and modernization of underground subway, light train, and suburban line networks in Mexico, always providing complete solutions and contributing to the improvement of services provided.

4. Metro System: Line B and Line 12

The Mexico Metro system moves more than 2000 million passengers annually, who use the service as an alternative to private transportation. Below is shown a chart that reflects figures over the last 10 years:

Figure: Ridership Metro Network Source: STC, “Technological Development Coordination- Operational Data” :

Looking at the chart evolution, it is probable that the use of public transport will continue to grow in the coming years. With this usage, the transport companies demand new communications systems that optimize their operations, improve the services offered to the passengers, assure the safety of the users, reduce the journey time, and reduce pollution, etc. To achieve these objectives, TELTRONIC supplied a complete communications solution for Line B and Line 12 composed of: • • • •

Base stations that provide coverage to all the operational areas. More than 100 advanced on-board radio terminals to manage voice and data communications. Other radio terminals for pedestrian users and for local control centers. Control Center oriented for overall communication management for the transport environment.

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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY •

Positioning system consisting of beacons located along the lines and beacon readers installed aboard the trains.

The positioning data of each vehicle and on-board information related to the operation are sent to the Control Center through the TELTRONIC Synchronous Data Manager (SDM) application. This application, based on the TETRA Short Data Service (SDS), is responsible for polling the position of each on-board terminal and to subsequently manage this information and transfer it to the Control Center. It is characterized by its minimum refresh times, thereby avoiding radio network congestion.

Furthermore, linking CeCo-TRANS (the TELTRONIC Control Center application designed for the transport environment) and the on-board equipment allows various other tasks to also be managed: -

Public address (PA) calls to passenger areas. Group calls between trains and Control Center operators. Group calls within zones in which the operational lines are divided. Maximum priority calls to respond to train emergencies. Selection of the specific vehicle cabin to call. Individual communication between two trains, previously authorized by the Control Center operator. Circulation number assignment (route number), through communication with the centralized Traffic Control Center.

Finally, TELTRONIC is also indirectly involved in safety. Mexico Metro has a monitoring center to control access points, platforms, depots, and stations. Due to the coordination of 20 persons monitoring 24/7 the 3400 cameras throughout the installations and the security staff equipped with TETRA portable terminals, the metro system is the safest public transport means in the country. In fact, there has been a significant decrease in the number of crimes since these systems have been installed. By means of the TELTRONIC solution, real-time coordination and communication is made possible between the monitoring center and security staff; an essential task in assuring passenger safety.

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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY

Line B.

In 2000, two sections of Line B were opened, Buenavista-Villa de Aragon and Villa de Aragon-Ciudad Azteca, with total length of 23.72 km and 21 passenger stations, to connect the central area of Mexico City with the areas of Venustiano Carranza and Gustavo A. Madero, as well as the towns of Ecatepec and Nezahualcoyotl northeast of the Mexico metropolitan area.

Line 12.

The Line 12 project is the most important public work in the country and in Latin America in the last five years, and is also the latest metro line to be opened (October 2012). It consists of 20 stations, and gold is the distinctive decorative color. It is located in the south of the city with east-west direction and is 24.5 kilometers in length, of which 20,278 km are used for passenger service and the rest for shunting. Through the correspondence with other lines, the efficiency of transfers is improved, reducing much of the traffic congestion of the past.

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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY

5. Buenavista Cuatitlan Suburban Line

Being aware of the mobility needs in one of the most populated cities in the world, the Mexican Federal Government set up the suburban train as a suitable option to travel long distances at an affordable price, comfortably, safely, and in a manner friendly to the environment. Thus, the suburban train moves 300,000 users a day. Trips which previously usually took more than two and a half hours travelling from Buenavista to Cuatitlan (27 km) now been decreased to 25 minutes. In addition, it helps to reduce by 14% Mexico’s pollution emissions and ease vehicles traffic congestion in the city.

As in the Metro network, a radio communications system is essential to support “train-towayside” communication between the fixed-location and the on-board parts of the system. The part of the infrastructure supplied by TELTRONIC for this project is based on its NEBULA TETRA system and consists of several base stations controlled by a central node. For the on-board part, 20 radio units are installed which manage voice and data calls between trains and the Control Center, where there are desktop units for the operations personnel. Finally, portable handheld and desktop radio equipment has been provided for use by other operating personnel.

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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY

6. Light Train, Xochimilco-Tasqueña Line

The Light Train is part of the Federal District STE network and operates in the south of the city. The system consists of 18 passenger stations distributed along a 13 km line. To meet the technical requirements of STE, besides supplying the NEBULA infrastructure, on-board equipment, and other radio terminals for voice and data communications as in other projects in Mexico, TELTRONIC has also integrated the network with an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) application. Thus, the solution provided is also responsible for transmitting and receiving the application data.

The applications are a set of tools designed for traffic regulation to improving and optimize operation. To achieve this, the ITS applications are composed of two main parts: one that resides in the Control Center, and the other installed on-board the rolling stock (trains, trams, and buses), interconnected with each other over TETRA to exchange all information necessary for the proper operation of the system.

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COMMUNICATIONS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORT IN MEXICO CITY

7. Conclusions

In large cities such as Mexico City, it is essential to have a good public transportation system that facilitates mobility of the population which involves networks of different types that flow through the entire city, connections between the lines of all these means, continuous service, good frequency, and constant information to passengers on schedules, destinations, or last minute changes affecting their journeys. To achieve this, the Mexican transport operators have gradually migrated from analog radio systems to digital TETRA systems. In this process, they have trusted in the advantages provided by TELTRONIC solutions. Through voice and data communications and the combination of the GPS positioning system and the SDM application, Mexican operators can currently: • • • •

Have continuous communication with all staff. Offer real-time information to passengers. Manage in a more efficient way their human and material resources. Have communication groups based on the work performed or on the specific location.

These solutions have improved both the management by the transport system operators as well as the services offered to the public. With these projects, transport companies and manufacturers seek a common goal: improving quality of life, while at the same time collaborating in the economic growth of cities, and promoting social cohesion and protecting the environment.

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Reliability Availability Security

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