Westermo has been awarded a $4m contract by Toshiba to provide industrial networking technology for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Series 7000 Rail car project. Extremely robust ethernet switches will support on-board communication and management systems for 364 new rail cars that will replace some of the existing fleet and be used on the new Dulles Airport Metro Line.

"Quality and experience are key when delivering solutions into the rolling stock environment, where reliability and long service life are vital," explained Toshiba. "Westermo’s extensive experience of supplying on-board communication products to some of the world’s most demanding rail car manufacturers, public transport authorities, system integrators and railroads was critical in their selection for this project."

Westermo will provide a range of rail-approved ethernet switches, including the Viper-212 compact routing switch, Viper power-over-ethernet switch, Red Fox rail train backbone switch and the M12 USB backup device. The products form part of Westermo’s IP train concept, which delivers a complete ethernet network switch and routing solution, providing a robust network infrastructure for the creation of intelligent trains.

"Another significant reason for the selection of Westermo was its ability to provide products that are designed and manufactured to not only meet, but exceed the EN50155 standard to ensure extended service life and ultra-reliable operation," said Toshiba. "We carried out extensive quality audits of Westermo’s production, R&D and support facilities, which confirmed Westermo’s ability to fulfil the expectations of this market."

Delivery of the switches for the 7000 Rail Car project is expected to commence in 2013, with the potential for further orders as part of WMATA’s on-going programme to upgrade the Washington DC metro.

To find out more about the Westermo IP train concept visit Westermo at the Innotrans exhibition in Berlin, 18-21September 2012.