KEYMILE has been awarded the project to create the mission-critical communications network for the French high-speed railway line LGV BPL from Le Mans to Rennes. The French EIFFAGE Group is the client and operator of the line, which is scheduled for completion in mid-2017. As part of a turnkey project, KEYMILE will use its MileGate multi-service packet transport platform to deliver a hybrid solution with SDH and a native Gigabit-Ethernet/IP network.

The LGV (Ligne à grande vitesse) Bretagne-Pays de la Loire is a French high-speed line, which went into construction in the middle of 2012. It will extend the LGV to the Brittany region from Le Mans to Rennes. Commercial commissioning is planned for May 2017. The project will be spearheaded by the French construction company EIFFAGE for the network owner RFF (Réseau Ferré de France) as part of a public-private partnership. The LGV BPL line will be 214km long.

KEYMILE is a leading supplier of telecommunications solutions and was awarded the contract to provide the telecommunications network. KEYMILE specialises in developing products and solutions for mission-critical communications networks at railway companies.

As part of the project, KEYMILE will supply a solution for the whole telecommunications backbone, which supports and guarantees railway operations. This is a hybrid solution consisting of an SDH network and Gigabit Ethernet/IP. It is based on KEYMILE’s multi-service packet transport platform multi-service access platform MileGate, which can be operated as a modular Ethernet/IP switch, as an SDH/PDH multiplexer or in combination without restricting the functionality of the other technology concerned. MileGate will also be used in this configuration in this French high-speed railway project.

The KEYMILE solution will provide all the applications and services that are essential for data communications and signal transmission for the railway equipment on this French high-speed line. This concerns control, safety and communications systems. In detail, areas covered include signalling, traction current, cross-wind detection, CCTV, as well as various telephony and data services.

The project will involve KEYMILE providing all the systems required to implement a mission-critical telecommunications backbone. These include MileGate, passive components, servers and software, as well as the network management software UNEM. By integrating all core components in UNEM, the railway operator has a standard network management system. KEYMILE will manage the project and oversee all project phases starting with network planning, engineering and design including the implementation process and documentation. After commercial commissioning, KEYMILE will also provide service and support for a period of up to 19 years.

KEYMILE beat nine competitors to the tender. There were two suppliers on the final shortlist who had to demonstrate the feasibility of their solutions in a proof of concept (POC). The POC phase included producing an actual solution design and detailed testing specifications with subsequent validation.

The integrated KEYMILE solution won through. The MileGate-UNEM combination means that all the customer’s requirements regarding connectivity, reliability and service are fulfilled in a simple manner.

"During the tender and POS phase, KEYMILE’s high level of professionalism and customer-oriented approach were consistently impressive," stresses Sidoine Serraj, project manager at EIFFAGE ENERGIE.

"Three points were pivotal in making our decision. First of all, KEYMILE delivered a simple solution to the challenging task, in contrast to the remaining competitor. Secondly, we wanted KEYMILE to come up with solutions with long lifecycles and which are very reliable. We also wanted the company to guarantee in-house research, development and production. And finally, it was a huge advantage that KEYMILE already had in-depth experience with telecommunications networks for railway companies and could produce numerous reference projects in that area."

Axel Föry, chief executive officer at KEYMILE, said: "We are very proud we have been awarded the project, particularly in view of the renowned competitors.

"The project is of vast strategic importance to us because in the railway sector this is the first time for a high-speed line, we’re not simply appearing as a supplier of hardware with an implementation partner, but are also acting as an end-to-end supplier of solutions and as an integrator. From a sales standpoint, we expect this to send a strong signal to the market."

For more information, please contact KEYMILE.