Spain to invest EUR 26 mln to bring 5G to AVE trains ⋆

Spain to invest EUR 26 mln to bring 5G to AVE trains

5G is the next great evolution of mobile networks that will enable very high speed and low latency connections. However, it is important to bring these new connections to all corners of Spain, be it small towns, roads or the rail network. From this, services such as free WiFi on the AVE can benefit, but also many other sectors that cannot be left out of the digital revolution. ave train 5g

Spain’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation has announced plans to allocate EUR 26 million in funding to bring 5G technology to several lines of the high-speed AVE train service.

Under the plan, to be carried out in collaboration with the country’s national railway operator Adif, funds will be made available to upgrade connectivity along railway corridors in Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Valencia, Valladolid, Vitoria and Zaragoza.

With this new deployment, for which no specific activation dates have been given, it will be possible to provide “advanced logistics services with partial or total automation that will facilitate the management of freight traffic”, as explained by sources from the ministry in the note of press related to the matter.

This is part of one of the objectives of The Strategy to promote 5G technology. The deployment of 5G in railway corridors and infrastructures seeks to achieve a significant impact on sectors such as transport and logistics. In addition, it is in line with the objectives of the European Union of gigabit society or to offer uninterrupted coverage by 2025 on roads or railways.

Alta Velocidad Española (AVE) is a service of high-speed rail in Spain operated by Renfe, the Spanish national railway company, at speeds of up to 310 km/h (193 mph).

As of August 2017, the Spanish AVE system is the longest HSR network in Europe with 3,240 km (2,010 mi) and the second longest in the world, after China’s.

AVE trains run on a network of high-speed rail track owned and managed by ADIF (Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias), where other high speed (Avant , Alvia, Avlo) and mid-speed (Altaria) services also operate. The first line was opened in 1992, connecting the cities of Madrid, Córdoba and Seville. Unlike the rest of the Iberian broad gauge network, the AVE uses standard gauge. This permits direct connections to outside Spain through the link to the French network at the Perthus Tunnel. AVE trains are operated by Renfe, but private companies may be able to operate trains in the future using other brands, in accordance with European Union legislation. Some TGV-derived trains used to run on the broad-gauge network at slower speeds, but these were branded separately as Euromed until new rolling stock was commissioned for these services. ave train 5g