The London Underground is introducing a new radio system, known as the Connect Project. It will introduce mobile phone technology to the London Underground and is able to allow phone usage in stations. The District Line will be the first line to receive the beta, with the other lines receiving it after the beta on the District Line and then the District Line will receive it last. The London Underground is a rapid transit system that serves much of Greater London and some neighbouring areas. ... The District Line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. ... The District Line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. ... The District Line is a line of the London Underground, coloured green on the Tube map. ...

[edit] Connect Project The Connect Project's intention was to "Connect" all the LUL Staff via a Radio and Telephone network. Before Connect each line would have its own radio system. Some lines such as the Northern Line were recently upgraded to a radio system which covered all areas, Other lines had aging radios that failed often and provided poor coverage.

The Connect project contract was signed in late 1999 and work was due to be complete as early as the end of 2002. Many people would argue as to the real reasons for the delay but the main delay is due to the fact that the Radio Equipment needed to be installed on an aging railway infrasturcture in a safe way with no distuption to the operational railway. This means for example tunnel work can only take place when a safe system of work has been agreed and there are no trains running.

Every frontline LUL staff and all trains are supplied with the Tetra Digital Radio. This radio technology allows more users to use the same number of Frequencies by use of Digital Multiplexing. Other benefits of Tetra can be found in the Tetra link. Integrating the emergency services is a requirement from the report arising from the Kings Cross Fire Disaster. e.g. Fire staff must be able to contact each other and LUL staff during an incident in a tunnel or station by use of a radio. So principly the Connect Project is a Secure, Safety Private Mobile Radio system. Its internal to staff and emergency staff.

Mobile Phones on the London Underground Mobile Phones on the underground have been on LUL's discussion table since at least 1996. Early discussions revealed a safety impact which would concerned LUL management, that the phone user would be distracted and become a "one under". e.g. walk off a platform under a train. Subsequent investigations revealed the true cost and complexity of providing phone use underground. The major problems facing the installer/desginer of a phone network underground are many, They include, Lack of power supplies, Lack of space, Can not use high power in confined spaces due to harmful emissions to members of public, Higher frequencies used by Mobile Phones mean 4 to 6 times the amount of equipment.

The conclusion on phones is that major stations and lines which have short distances between stations will have a mobile phone system. Major stations will also have WIMAX and WIFI technologies where they interchange with Network Rail Lines.

A proposed alternative technology was to enable phone use in trains only by installing low powered repeaters within the trains. The cost of adding this additonal hardware and then proving it was still safe to run the train would far exceed the cost benefit to the mobile phone user. This technology is in place on Heathrow Express and other rail lines.

External links

• Article on the Connect Project at Mobile/Cellular Technology website

London Underground is currently procuring via the UK government's Private Finance Initiative (PFI) the replacement of its existing train, station and depot radio systems with a single trunked private mobile radio system and the installation of a new fibre optic transmission network which will support services such as telephony, customer/staff information systems and IT as well as a video transmission network with capability to serve all operational sites. The main drivers for the Project are due firstly to the fact that many of the existing radio and transmission systems are beginning to reach the end of their useful lives and require replacement. Secondly the existing systems no longer provide the functionality and types of service required for a modern mass transit railway serving a large urban area such as London. The Connect Project aims to provide a fully integrated communications system which will serve London Underground well into the 21st century and support new types of services and more efficient ways of working which will bring benefits to both the customers and staff of London Underground

The expected timetable for lines going live with TETRA is: East London 30 August 05. District 21 February 06. H&C 21 February 06. Bakerloo 6 June 06. Jubilee 30 June 06. Picadilly 8 July 06. Central 25 July 06. Metropolitan 5 September 06. Waterloo and City 24 September 06. Northern 4 November 06. Victoria 31 December 06. August 30 is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 21 is the 52nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year (158th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... June 30 is the 181st day of the year (182nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... September 24 is the 267th day of the year (268th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The East London Line was chosen as the first line to receive the TETRA radio as it is the smallest of the lines. The TETRA network has been in use on the East London Line since February 2006 and will be rolled out on the H&C line next, closely followed by the District. Hammersmith to Paddington is commissioned and live, though not in use at the moment. The District Line is planned to be in full use by August 2006. In all probability the last lines to use the TETRA radio will be the Jubilee as it was only updated with the extension, and the Northern Line which has only had its new radio since 2005. The Victoria Line will get new train stock in 2007 and it is unlikely that the builders will want to fit legacy radio systems into the cabs for it to be used alonside TETRA for a short while.

Without the required £450 million capital investment available from government funds to do the work on a traditional install and commission system, Connect has had to be underwritten with private investment. It is funded under a private financial initiative through a consortium (special purpose vehicle name “Citylink”), who undertake to devise, procure, construct and maintain Connect for an initial 20 year period.

The supply contract was finally signed in November 1999 and sadly Connect is not British. America and France hold the purse, with Motorola as the radio provider alongside Thales, although Motorola’s Basingstoke base softens the disappointment. A deciding factor was choosing a company that could deliver a transmission and radio system for LUL that satisfies the exacting and fluid standards of TETRA.

Citylink's shareholders are Thales (33 per cent), Fluor (18 per cent), Motorola (10 per cent), Laing Investment (19.5 per cent) and HSBC (19.5 per cent). The cost of the design, build and maintain contract is £2bn over 20 years.

It would be nice to think that Britain was again leading the global field in technology, but Connect’s technology is not test-bed; it’s in and working in Copenhagen and Oslo, with Holland, Singapore & Hong Kong ready for commissioning. However, it is the largest installation of this technology ever made, anywhere. The cost is significant too – an approximate lifetime cost of £1.2 billion. The new radio transmission network covers the whole of LUL – every single station, depot and office – carrying anything that requires transmission around LUL except signalling. For safety reasons signalling is designed as a stand-alone system.

Currently, the main Lines have 20 radio systems and none of them talks to each other, but, the need is there, whether during an incident or simply because some Lines co-run with each other. Cross-checking across lines is done by telephone, and it works well. The Lines of communication are very clear, but there are obvious benefits of intercommunication between Lines by using radio, allowing that member of staff to be mobile and contactable at all times rather than stuck to a seat. Kings Cross station exemplifies the need for this improved efficiency. With five Lines passing through, in an emergency situation the Station Supervisor must make 4 phone calls and a radio call to announce that he wants to evacuate. It’s quick (about one minute) but under the new Connect system the Supervisor would simply go to his computer screen, press the broadcast button and every single staff member on the station, all the trains and the line controllers would all be told the emergency message at once. A second tangible benefit is direct to the traveller. With the new system, staff will have accurate information available to them when it matters, enabling them to keep customers fully updated – avoiding a major source of frustration for customers and staff alike. Thirdly, staff, who currently only carry personal safety alarms, will be able to secure assistance with a direct radio link to the control centre via the new handsets. This not only adds to their personal safety, but also allows the set up of special incident rooms and improved efficiency in the event of an incident. At present, LUL has had to resort to the use of hand-written notes to pass information between remote locations and a major incident, where staff have no radio communication underground. The new efficiency of Connect is unlikely to instil complacency. A severe culling of the information channel restricts the potential hazards of the wrong people being able to talk to each other, whilst staff are also aware that every call is recorded. Although the traveller is unlikely to be aware of the forthcoming impact of Connect the internal philosophy is that Connect is driven by the needs of the operational railway and its justification is crucial. LUL must prove how they will get value for money from a very expensive radio system for the public who are paying for it.

Commercially the benefits are easily quantified: A train requires radio to operate fully and if the radio doesn’t work, the train is removed from service until it is replaced. A new radio system equals less cancellations and more trains available for the consumer. In fact 99.6% system reliability. Secondly, a typical situation that occurs today takes 6.5 minutes to deal with, which under the new procedure reduces to 2.5 minutes. When dealing with the trains it’s easy to see that every minute counts, both in terms of money and efficiency. Harder to measure is improved customer satisfaction, whose temperature is taken by survey, mystery shoppers and targeted scoring.

Also to be added is an upgrade to allow the O2 Airwave radios in use by the emergency services to be used underground. At present only the British Transport Police (BTP) can use their radios on the Underground. This is despite recommendations made by Mr. Desmond Fennell QC after inquiry into the Kings Cross Underground fire in 1987.

Rather embarrisingly the TETRA trackside cabinets have not been liking the hot weather leading to the equipment overheating, and does not allow for repair or maintenance to be carried out if it is raining, showing up the poor basic design principles.

The District Line was handed over as Live on the morning of 11th October 2006 with the Hammersmith & City Line being handed over on the 8th November 2006. The date for the Metropolitan Line to go live is currently the 11th December 2006. Since going live the radio has been plagued with failures which Thales have been unable to rectify or repair causing delays and cancellations to trains, and with the Victoria line iminent, confidence in the system is falling to an all time low.

The Victoria Line will be handed over as live on the 2nd April 07. Maintainers will be Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS). April 7 is the 97th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (98th in leap years). ...

Contract signed for Airwave radio coverage on Tube (2nd February 2007)

The £115m contract for the Airwave radio network used by police and the emergency services to 'piggy back' on the Tube's new Connect digital radio system has been signed.

It is planned that Airwave will be operational on all Underground lines in 2008.

This will mean that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) and other UK police forces including the City of London Police will have Airwave radio coverage at all 125 below ground Underground stations.

British Transport Police (BTP), who have responsibility for policing on the Tube network, currently have radios which work underground.

There are currently long established working arrangements for the MPS and City of London Police to access the Tube network - they will be accompanied by a BTP officer who has a radio which works below ground and if needed will be provided with a BTP radio.

Significant progress has been made to roll-out Connect on the Tube network.

Connect is now live on the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan and East London Lines.

Connect will be rolled-out across the remainder of the Tube network on a line-by-line basis throughout 2007.

Extra reassurance

Mayor of London Ken Livingstone said: "The addition of the Airwave radio network to the new Connect digital radio system, currently being rolled out across the Tube network, is good news for London.

"It will bring added flexibility to the way that emergency services operate underground boosting the Metropolitan and City of London Police response to any incident on the Tube and providing extra reassurance to Londoners."

Tim O'Toole, LU Managing Director, said: "London Underground is meeting its commitments to deliver a new digital radio system for the Tube which can also be accessed by the emergency services."

While the negotiations between London Underground and the various suppliers were taking place, vital groundwork was undertaken to ensure an early and seamless integration of equipment with the Connect radio network.

Delivering benefits

Tim O'Toole continued: "London Underground and the Home Office pre-funded works to facilitate the link-up between Connect and Airwave before this contract was signed because of the benefits it would deliver.

"This will allow the Airwave service to be supplied below ground via the Connect infrastructure that is already in place as quickly as possible."

Airwave will be rolled-out across the Tube network on a line-by-line basis in the same way as Connect is rolled-out.

Airwave radio will go live starting with the East London Line in April 2007.