DLR moves to IP-based announcements

The Docklands Light Railway is to get a Telent-designed Cisco gigabit network

Engineering group Serco is to upgrade the network infrastructure on the Docklands Light Railway service it operates, in preparation for a rollout of new services and IP-based applications.

Serco has hired systems integrator Telent to deploy an IP-based public address system, iPA, to service 32 DLR stations.

Project rollout has already started, with Telent's network design using Cisco gigabit Ethernet switches, interoperating with DLR's existing time-division multiplexed network. Full completion of the network is expected by 2010.

The public address system will be controlled from Linux workstations, and Telent is integrating the system with DLR's customer information display.

"Clearly the trend is to shift from a conventional multiplexed communications medium to a converged IP network, and the goal of the project is to put in place an infrastructure that will last for the next 10 years," said Serco Docklands communications engineer Michael Evans.

Telent will provide monitoring and management of the network from its Canary Wharf service centre.

"Over time, other key systems will be brought across to run over the new network, and Serco Docklands is also looking to deploy IP-based control systems for its numerous video recorders and CCTV cameras, which are expected to total nearly 1,000 by 2012," said Evans.