Case Study: Zambia Railways Ltd. builds Africa’s first ERTMS railway with Huawei GSM-R

Huawei’s GSM-R Solution Helps Zambia Build Africa’s First ERTMS Railway

Zambia Railways Ltd. faced major challenges on its 980-kilometer Chingola-Livingstone line, including outdated UHF/VHF communications, poor voice quality, low operational efficiency, and severe interference. With limited funding, the railway needed a cost-effective upgrade that could reuse existing infrastructure while improving reliability and supporting a modern train control system. Huawei provided a GSM-R railway communications solution to help address these needs.

Huawei implemented a GSM-R solution based on ETCS Level 3, using ATCA soft-switch core network, Distributed Base Stations, microwave transmission, and redundancy features to create a reliable train-to-ground communications platform. The solution integrated with existing UHF/VHF assets, extended base station coverage by more than 25%, supported backhaul up to 100 kilometers, and reduced associated construction costs by 50%, helping Zambia Railways Ltd. establish Africa’s first ERTMS Regional railway line.

Zambia Railways Ltd.