Completed
Infrastructure

5G innovation on the railway

ProRail, NS and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management want to use the latest communication technology to test and innovate innovations around the railways. To this end, they have established the Rail Fieldlab 5G. Do IoT Fieldlab contributes to this cooperation with expertise and practical experience from our own fieldlab.

DurationSeptember 2023 – September 2025

Partners (TU Delft)Do IoT Fieldlab, TU Delft

Partners (other)TNO and MCS

In partnership withMinistry of Infrastructure and Water Management, ProRail and NS

Public transport as a solution

The Netherlands faces major challenges in the coming years. Think of urbanisation, climate change and an ageing population. Good public transport can play a major role in tackling these challenges. However, this requires smarter, more efficient and cheaper operations. To make this possible, innovation is needed on and around the railways.

5G is seen as an important technology with potential to innovate in several areas. The deployment of 5G technology allows multiple devices to be connected, offers more bandwidth, has lower latency (delay) and higher reliability than 4G. ‘Slicing’ – reserving a certain portion of capacity for a user group – is also a possibility. This new communication technology is becoming essential for the rail sector, with improved communication between trains and control centres and real-time monitoring of trains and rail infrastructure.

Samenwerken om innovaties te versnellen

A joint initiative of The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, ProRail and NS have been working together for some time to accelerate innovations. The Railcenter in Amersfoort is the place where (future) rail professionals come together. Railcenter works closely with partners such as engineering firms, rail contractors and research and knowledge institutes. At Railcenter, they can jointly study technological and operational issues in their complete coherence study. In this way, they work together to develop new working methods, innovations and knowledge. In doing so, they aim to make use of a state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Rail fieldlab 5G

The ‘Rail fieldlab 5G’ is located in the Railcenter and provides a dynamic test environment for the rail industry. Here, the parties can experiment and test with a private and full 5G connection.

The fieldlab also acts as a common space for inspiration and knowledge exchange, including during demo days. Here, railway companies, researchers, startups and students join forces for various applications of 5G in the railway world. In this way, innovation on the railways takes on a new dimension, with 5G driving progress and sustainable solutions.

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Let's innovate together!

Ask your question. You provide the ideas, we provide the connection – both human and wireless.

doiotfieldlab@tudelft.nl

Address

Do IoT Fieldlab
TU Delft
Molengraaffsingel 29, 1st floor
2629 JD Delft

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