The Spanish Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility has announced that León will host pilot tests for FRMCS (Future Railway Mobile Communications System), the successor to GSM-R and an implementation of 5G technology in railway communications.
To this end, Adif has tendered a contract for 6.78 million euros to carry out the first phase of the tests. This phase will include installing elements prior to implementing the Future Railway Mobile Communication System (FRMCS).
The section selected for these tests is Asunción Universidad-Matallana, which belongs to the León-Guardo metric gauge line. This 25-kilometre section has been chosen for its complex orography and medium-low traffic density, which make it ideal for testing these new technologies.
The new FRMCS system will replace the current GSM-R system, allowing the transmission of a higher volume of data and a lower processing speed. This will enable the implementation of advanced functionalities such as automated driving (ATO), real-time traveller information services and more efficient traffic management.
This project is part of a broader European Union initiative, FP 2-R2DATO, one of the six flagship first-generation ERJU (Europe’s Rail Joint Undertaking) projects. Adif is leading the preparatory activities to demonstrate this project’s FRMCS system and connectivity on regional lines.
The implementation of this technology will improve the capacity of railway networks and enable applications such as condition monitoring of railway infrastructure and predictive maintenance through Internet of Things devices.
With this initiative, Spain positions itself at the forefront of European railway technological development, making a significant contribution to the modernisation and efficiency of rail transport.
