Seoul City Conducts Final Inspection of Railway Signal System Ahead of 'Sillim Line' Urban Railway Opening
by Lim Chulyoung
Published 03 May.2022 06:03(KST)
Final Inspection of Wireless Communication Method, Core Technology of Korea's First Domestic Railway Signal System
Eliminating Risks of Train Communication Disruption and Ensuring Safety During Early Operation Period
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will conduct a final check on the wireless communication method of the ‘Korean-style wireless communication-based train control system,’ which will be introduced for the first time in Korea on the Sillim Line urban railway scheduled to open on the 28th. To do this, 210 public officials and field personnel will board the train on the 3rd to inspect whether any train communication outages occur in case of emergencies.
Train communication outage refers to a phenomenon where communication between the control center and trains is cut off due to frequency interference and disturbances caused by the use of mobile communication devices during train operation. When a communication outage occurs between the train and the control system, the train stops for safety, causing disruptions in train operations.
Accordingly, Seoul analyzed accident cases on existing lines and introduced a wireless multiple access (1-to-N) communication method capable of stable data transmission and reception to proactively prevent train communication outages. Existing lines use a 1-to-1 connection method.
In addition, by simultaneously using two wireless frequency bands, 2.4GHz and 5GHz, communication performance degradation and errors were minimized, improving passenger convenience and communication quality. Generally, when only one wireless frequency band is applied and users concentrate on it, frequency interference can occur, degrading communication performance.
As Seoul is the first in Korea to introduce the Korean-style wireless communication-based train control system on the Sillim Line, it has secured system performance and safety through sufficient performance verification for citizen safety. Furthermore, before the opening on the 28th, a real-like operating environment was created to conduct a final inspection to ensure that even minor mistakes or errors do not occur.
Lee Jeong-hwa, Head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Urban Infrastructure Headquarters, said, “We will thoroughly prepare without letting our guard down until the last moment for a safe opening on the 28th,” adding, “Seoul will do its best to provide citizens with a comfortable and convenient railway service.”
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