With Zetron Series 4000 Products

In 2005, the railway company, Companhia Paulista de Trens Metropolitanos (CPTM), in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, decided it was time to update and improve the dispatching system they were using to control their rail lines. Their existing system comprised three separate dispatch centers that were operated by a small, remote-control console; and a software-based dispatch system that was being used to manage two lines, but which never worked properly. This system was not meeting the railway’s critical communications needs.

CPTM chose Zetron authorized reseller, SGM Telecomunicacoes (SGM Telecom) LTDA, of São Paulo, to set up and equip the new dispatch center. The Zetron Series 4000 was selected to serve as its radio communications control system.

The tasks and challenges for CPTM
CPTM’s railway includes 157 miles (253.2 kilometers) of operational lines that serve 22 cities and 1.3 million users daily in the metropolitan region of the state of São Paulo.

The railway’s radio communications are central to the effective running of this extensive system. They are used to monitor, manage and coordinate a range of vital tasks, including routine day-to-day operations, schedules, and system maintenance, as well as non-routine events and emergencies. The radio system is also used to ensure the safety and security of the railway and its passengers.

SGM Telecom: a proven partner
When CPTM decided to update their radio communications system, they chose SGM Telecom to assist in the effort. SGM Telecom specializes in the design, integration and implementation of systems for radio, telephony and mobile-radio applications and microwaves. The industries they focus on are public safety, transportation and utilities.

SGM was chosen, in part, due to the success of installations they had already performed for CPTM. In 2000, SGM installed Zetron’s Series 4000 to control all of São Paulo Metrô’s subway lines. Then, in 2002, SGM installed a three-site, 12-channel MPT 1327 trunking system for CPTM. All of the suburban train lines and subway lines in the state of São Paulo are operated by systems SGM has deployed. And all of the lines are controlled by the Zetron Series 4000.

The Series 4000 provides a reliable solution
The Series 4000’s track record with CPTM made it a logical choice as the communications system for the new dispatch center. The Series 4000 had proven to be highly reliable and easy to program and operate. In addition, according to Rubens Pedrosa Boucault, SGM Telecom’s Manager of Systems Engineering, the Series 4000 met the specific requirements of the new project: "It offered stand-by reliability, centralized design, and economical upgrades; met the system’s radio-signaling requirements; and permitted working with remote repeaters that are accessed through a variety of linking systems," says Boucault. "It also includes a fully programmable console that can easily be adapted to operational changes, which is what CPTM wanted," he adds.

SGM’s engineers worked closely with CPTM’s operational and maintenance engineers to determine the configuration that would best meet CPTM’s needs.

The solution they arrived at includes:

• The Series 4000 configured with nine Zetron Model 4115B/4118 rack-mount consoles and one Zetron Integrator RD Workstation touch-screen console.
  
• A redundant Zetron Model 4048 Common Control Unit (CCU) equipped with five dual-tone/local-channel cards and two telephone lines.
• A headset and footswitch for each console.

A smooth transition from old to new
One of the challenges of this project was that, even as the new dispatch center was being installed in a completely new building, it would have to be connected to CPTM’s existing VHF/UHF base stations and repeaters. Boucault explains: "The installation logistics had to take into account the procedures involving the new and the existing equipment, such as system alignment and test acceptance. What’s more," he says, "the installation and tests had to be carried out while the rail system continued its normal operations. This is a challenge, but it is one that is common to most of these types of installations for rail lines and subways," says Boucault. "We were able to complete the transition to the new system without incident."

The results for CPTM
The project, completed in December of 2006, is now providing CPTM with the efficient, easy-to-use, highly centralized system it needs to ensure the smooth running of its trains and their day-to-day operations.

"CPTM appreciates the reliability of the new console system," says Boucault. "They like its ease of operation and high-quality audio. In addition, the centralization of the control center is reducing costs and increasing efficiency, just as we hoped it would. And the new center is designed to control CPTM’s expanding suburban rail network now and through the next decade." Article provided by Zetron.