No traditional lineside signals on Poland’s first HSL
posted on 22nd Oct 2026 11:21
The “Y” line, Poland’s new high-speed railway, will be the first to operate without the conventional railway signals familiar from today’s train journeys. Making this possible requires a modern communications network. Port Polska has completed the radio planning for the GSM-R network along the 120 km section running from Warszawa Zachodnia, via the new airport, to Łódź.
The work was carried out by a consortium comprising Biuro Projektów Komunikacyjnych w Poznaniu (Consortium Leader), Biuro Projektów Kolejowych i Usług Inwestycyjnych Consortium Partner) and FONON (Consortium Partner).
The contract with covered radio planning for the GSM-R network along railway line No. 85 between Warsaw and Łódź, including connecting lines to existing railway routes and the section running through the CPK Railway Junction. The aim of radio planning is to develop an optimised GSM-R radio network, with a view to the future implementation of FRMCS (Future Railway Mobile Communication System).
The resulting report identifies the locations of radio communications facilities, including radio masts, and specifies antenna installation parameters. These include the number of antennas required, their installation heights, transmission power and the frequency plan. The radio planning involved developing a digital terrain model by simulating the proposed railway line in specialist computer software. This model was then used to simulate the propagation of radio waves across the GSM-R network, providing the basis for implementing GSM-R and, in the future, FRMCS technology.
The simulation results made it possible to identify the locations where radio communications facilities will be required. On this basis, designers can incorporate the necessary telecommunications infrastructure into the railway line’s design documentation.
