- Reliable mobile phone coverage for railway passengers as part of Stuttgart 21
- EQOS Kommunikation team develops customised concept in the face of special challenges
- Sustainable means of transport for logistics and commuting to work
Since September 2023, EQOS Kommunikation has been adding another key element to the continuous expansion of the infrastructure for digital communications following the expansion of the high-speed railway line from Ulm to Wendlingen. The goal is reliable and powerful mobile communications coverage for rail passengers in several tunnels of the Stuttgart 21 project. The team from the EQOS Germany Central/South/West profit center is attracting attention with an innovative solution in line with the concept of sustainability.
“Since no conventional transport vehicles are allowed to enter the tunnels for safety reasons, our colleagues have demonstrated their creativity and developed a concept in which they use pedelecs with load trailers. The teams of fitters travel to the work site on a total of 10 of these e-bikes and transport materials through the tunnels,” Jens Lenk, who is responsible for the Communications Technology business unit at EQOS, explained. “The customer’s response to the customised solution from EQOS Kommunikation was positive,” Paul Weßling, project manager in charge at DB Kommunikationstechnik GmbH, said. “The customer’s response to the customised solution from EQOS Kommunikation was positive,” Paul Weßling, project manager in charge at DB Kommunikationstechnik GmbH, said.
Specific response to special conditions
“Flexibility and ingenuity are crucial when handling projects of this nature in order to master the challenges posed by the many trades working at tight construction sites,” Lenk continued. “We are pleased that EQOS Kommunikation was also able to prevail against several competitors due to these capabilities. After all, sustainability in its various forms is a core value in EQOS’ philosophy.”
Specifically, EQOS Kommunikation is responsible for installing the radiating cables in three railway tunnels in the Stuttgart area: in the Fildertunnel with a total length of 39 kilometres of cables, in the Bad Cannstatt tunnel with 15 kilometres of cables, and in the Feuerbach tunnel with 13 kilometres of cables. This also includes the installation of surge protection and earthing points. The cable enables mobile phone coverage via various networks within the tunnels.
Future-proof mobile communications without blind spots
The logistical effort required to ensure an uninterrupted work rhythm to fulfil the order on time is particularly challenging. Examples of this include moving the huge cable drums into the tunnel tubes and installing the extremely sensitive radiating cable at a height of almost five metres. Initially this requires some endurance, because after marking the cable route more than 83,000 holes have to be drilled 80 centimetres apart, in order to be able to mount the cable holders. But the effort is worth it: Ultimately, rail travellers will benefit from a future-proof mobile network without blind spots. Completion of the work is planned for the end of the year.