Nokia has won a tender to test and deliver a standalone (SA) 5G system for automated rail operation in Hamburg, Germany. The project is part of Deutsche Bahn’s highly automated S-Bahn operation project. The project is one of the world’s first standalone 5G networks in use for automated rail operations.

The proof-of-concept will test whether 5G technology is mature enough to be used as the connectivity layer for future, digitalised rail operations. The project constitutes an early step in the development of the Future Railway Mobile Communications System (FRMCS) standard, based on 5G, the successor to the current GSM-R standard. The project the stage for the digital transformation of railway operations in Germany.

By 2021, as part of the project “Digitale S-Bahn Hamburg”, highly automated trains (with train drivers on board who keep safety responsibility) are expected to operate on a 23-kilometre section of the S-Bahn Line 21, starting at Berliner Tor, one of the main transport hubs in Hamburg. Part of the demonstration will include fully driver-less shunting of empty trains in an area near Bergedorf station, based on the transmission of train control information over the Nokia 5G mobile network.

The Nokia 5G solution is based on 3GPP standards for 5G mobile networks, allowing highly or fully automated trains to exchange relevant data with track-side equipment by 5G radio. This will have positive effects on cross-border operation, capacity of rail infrastructure, punctuality of trains and also on customer experience.

Kathrin Buvac, President of Nokia Enterprise and Chief Strategy Officer, said: “We are very pleased to be Deutsche Bahn’s partner, bringing digital technology to the forefront of the Hamburg S-Bahn network and rail system. Together, we have worked to research, develop and deliver the world’s first 5G-based communication system for automated rail operation, an important milestone towards the Future Rail Mobile Communication System and a major step in making Industry 4.0 a reality.”