Rail-5G
The rail-5G solution has four key parts:
-
Trackside network
Poles and antennas mounted along the track to ensure direct line of sight and near perfect coverage of on-train antennas -
Distributed breakout network
The trackside network breaks out to the internet at multiple locations that allow load balancing, greater availability and the ability to grow the trackside a section at a time -
Radio access network
The mmWave beamforming radios (on trackside and train) bridge and integrate with the corresponding trackside and on-train networks. The latter, includes the train’s backbone switches and Wi-Fi gateway server -
On-train network
Rail-5G makes best use of the train operator’s existing customer Wi-Fi investments or can offer this as a packaged Wi-Fi solution. This will supercharge the existing 10-20Mbps of mobile 4G bandwidth with potentially over 1Gbps of symmetric throughput
The rail-5G solution has taken many years to develop, designing every aspect to be both affordable and deployable on the railways. The standards and regulations set by Europe and Network Rail for trackside and train installations have been exceeded with a service that provides extraordinary reliability.
evo-rail and our partners deliver an end-to-end rail-5G solution. Our combined team own, maintain and operate it on behalf of our customers with the opportunity to commercialise any overage (additional bandwith).
CONSULTANCY
The skills that evo-rail and our partners have acquired while designing, developing and delivering rail communications have enabled us to enhance and support many projects and programmes. These consultancy services include:
Project and programme management
Financial modelling and business cases, including HM Treasury Green Book
Procurement, including OJEU
Independent review and assurance: Operational, technical and commercial
RF and IP networking
Skills and delivery based resource augmentation

Benefits
rail-5G not only enables customers through the on-train Wi-Fi but also Operational systems, let alone offering an array of strong financial benefits that all ensure a rapid Return on Investment (ROI). Rail-5G creates a whole new on-train market for bandwidth hungry applications and system, whether to improve train operations or making rail the preferred method of transport – fun and productive travel.
Step change in CX
- Customer satisfaction
- Additional ridership and journeys
- Low cost/gigabit
Truly digitally connected train
- Fully connected train systems
- Live operational data and improvements
- Safety & security
- No mobile data charges
New Rail market
- Connected systems revenue
- Mobile operators
- Customer top-up
- New media/content opportunities
- Rail IOT & data analytics
- New PIS & multi-modal opportunities
- Rapid return on investment
Business cases for Wi-Fi services often struggle to get passed and can require subsidies for railway networks. Mobile operators are unable to provide the bandwidth required and are very costly.
rail-5G is the first solution which delivers increased bandwidth that is also affordable. Create a whole new connected on-board experience; from 3D gaming, providing access to business technology, live streaming HD CCTV and OTMR to enabling a faster download of data from your on-board systems.
The ultra-high speed communications experienced with rail-5G will create a truly “digitally connected” train.”

Overage
Although aggregating multiple SIM cards will enable the on-train Wi-Fi with 5-30Mbps, once shared with 500 to 1,000 customers it becomes useless, especially in times of disruption when customer need connectivity most. rail-5G offers an average throughput closer to 1Gbps which means that even after serving customers there is plenty of bandwidth for other commercial applications such as mobile operators, content providers and passenger top up opportunities.
The commercial opportunities for the ‘overage’ offer a clear return on investment, whether this is commercialised by evo rail as part of the service or by the train operator. This enables a variety of flexible commercial models to be applied.
As with all radio systems, signal strength varies by the distance of the train to the mast and the prevailing rail topology, however rail-5G consistently delivers an average data throughput of over 500Mbps.
SELF POWERING NETWORK
The self-powered rail-5G access point makes wireless internet truly wireless and energy-efficient.
Evo rail uses the self-powered pole for building high performance networks in the railway corridor. evo-rail integrates the most efficient solar cells with an integrated wind turbine and Lithium battery in a single, lean pole that is operated by a unique power management system. Our rail-5G access points are sustainable, reliable and built to last, making them the perfect solution for trackside networks
The self-powered rail-5G access point is a fully autonomous, high-end carrier grade wireless access point delivering Gigabit/s bandwidth. It can be coupled to an existing trackside fibre connection or meshed with adjacent access points and serves as a the fastest solution to provide extended area coverage.
