As part of Virgin’s continued drive for an improved service offering to their passengers, Mott MacDonald was asked to provide technical advice on the provision of Broadband on Trains. This is because a number of suppliers offer competing solutions to the rail industry, but while there are broad similarities in certain aspects, there are striking differences in others.

The common approach is to provide access to users on the train, through wireless technology. This approach is popular due to the widespread market penetration of WiFi enabled devices. Conversely, to connect the train to the wider communications network, there are a number of technology options available.

Here the competing systems differ, with their associated strengths and weaknesses.

The link to the network can be achieved through a:

• Terrestrial
• Satellite, or
• Hybrid terrestrial/satellite solution

The selection of the most appropriate solution is dependent on a number of factors such as the nature of the operational environment for the train service, CAPEX and OPEX.

Mott MacDonald acted as technical advisor to Virgin Trains during the procurement process for a system to deliver Internet Services on their trains.

Based on the needs of Virgin Trains, we:

• drafted the technical requirements specification of the system, and
• developed the tender evaluation process

Independent advice was given on the relative strengths of the technical and commercial solutions offered.

Mott MacDonald ensured that the tenderers fully understood the technical and programmatic challenges of deploying this type of system on trains in the UK.

The support provided covered the:

• tender evaluation
• review of the submitted documentation
• participation in the tender presentation stages of the procurement
• assessment of the ability of these organisations to implement their solutions in the timescales envisaged by the client

Mott MacDonald provided recommendations for the successful deployment of the system on Virgin Trains fleet.