Recently, Shuohuang Railway completed the upgrade and transformation of its LTE core network system, and its next-generation cloud core network system began operation, propelling China’s heavy-haul railway communication technology into a new phase of intelligent development.

The LTE wireless network supports stable operations of critical railway systems, including wireless synchronized control, dispatch communication, controllable train trailing, and Centralized Traffic Control (CTC) of railway locomotives, making it one of the key factors ensuring railway safety. This system upgrading strictly adheres to the technical standards of high reliability, high security, and high efficiency in the railway industry, resulting in an overall leap in network performance and service levels and the establishment of a new infrastructure for intelligent heavy-haul communication technology. By implementing a cloud-based core network architecture, data transmission efficiency and system disaster recovery capabilities have been significantly enhanced, providing superior communication support for key operations such as wireless reconnection for marshalling and intelligent dispatching of heavy-haul trains.

The transformation project for the cloud core network was completed after 7-month efforts. The project team conducted laboratory simulations, employee self-tests, and multiple rounds of optimization to finalize the best cutover scheme, efficiently completing equipment transitions during six maintenance gaps. To ensure the system’s performance meets industry-leading standards, the team carried out 99 rigorous railway tests and functional validations. By utilizing industry-leading technical architecture, the newly established cloud core network features high elasticity and low latency advantages, fully meeting current business demands while reserving technological space for smooth evolution to the 5G-R standard in the future.