Norway’s national railway

The Requirement

Zenitel were required to provide hardware, software and services associated with the delivery of audible customer information to help Bane NOR accomplish their mission. This included the provision of amplifiers, controllers, loudspeakers, microphones, ambient noise control and remote monitoring, providing over 360 stations with stateof-the-art PA systems to ensure the delivery of information to the public. In addition, Zenitel supplied a further four major stations (Holmestrand, Oslo Central, Nationaltheatret and
Gardemoen) with comprehensive PAVA systems, fully compliant with EN 54, to ensure the public remain protected as well as informed.

Some Bane NOR stations pose considerable security, installation, and practical challenges including operation in harsh environments and the accessing of remote destinations. This, combined with rapidly evolving passenger demands results in the need for new and creative solutions, tailored to individual use cases.

The Solution

Over the years, Zenitel have supplied Bane NOR with a number PAVA solutions, all cutting edge for their time. Although the technology has progressed, legacy systems are serviced routinely and are still in operation today.

The first-generation amplifier, the IPA400 designed specifically for Bane NOR application, broke ground, combining PA amplification, routing, and Ethernet connectivity in a single 2U unit and is installed in stations
across Norway. Zenitel’s Voiceover-IP software (VIPA) allow for easy distribution of audio over a network,
whilst proving seamless integration with third-party train scheduling engines to provide real-time arrival and
departure predictito everyone for years to come.

Building on the IPA, the IPAM400 was introduced, offering the same core functionality but with the addition
of monitoring. Provide remote reassurance to the maintenance team that the systems are working
as expected.

The introduction of the VIPEDIA PAVA range, developed specifically for larger, safety critical sites, offered an EN 54 certified alternative to the iPA/iPAM and is installed at key BaneNOR sites. Containing increased digital signal processing (DSP), the VIPEDIA-12 controller has the capacity to store up to sixty-four
internal Digital Voice Announcement messages, and hosts Zenitel’s VIPA long-line public address software,
which also run on the hardware.

Following the tailor approach, Zenitel’s next generation VAIA amplifiers /controllers’ solution has once again
been designed in consultation with Bane NOR, to ensure it continues to meet their ever-evolving requirements.
It integrates seamlessly with existing ecosystems, whilst also being more cost effective and environmentally
friendly. This new hardware offers improved audio performance, greater power density and eased operation.
Other functional benefits include 48V DC operation, allowing units to be powered directly from the local
supply without the need for expensive inverters, and enhanced preventative maintenance features to ensure lower whole life costs. In addition, key to Bane NOR was VAIA’s future-proof and scalable design which provides a platform for the next 10 years.

The VAIA was the perfect solution for the Follo Tunnels project, which is in the latter stages of construction. The train tunnel will run almost 20km, connecting Oslo and Ski in a bid to boost economic development and links between the two areas. Over such a distance, the improved connectivity, scalability and cost efficiency of VAIA makes it the perfect fit.

All equipment is elegantly connected to Zenitel’s iVENCS, an open and intuitive integrated management platform, which offers comprehensive control, remote condition monitoring, and incident analysis across the PAVA subsystem.