Case Study: Amtrak achieves reliable multi-gigabit onboard connectivity with Nomad Digital's Digital Train Line™

Digital Train Line provides multi-gigabit performance, reliably operating on a dynamic consist

Amtrak, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, needed consistent, reliable high-speed, high-bandwidth connectivity so passengers could stream video, use social media and work while traveling. In collaboration with Nomad Digital, Amtrak selected Nomad’s Digital Train Line™ (ND DTL) wired Ethernet backbone to deliver gigabit-capable performance across dynamic consists while minimizing daily coupling/decoupling overhead and pioneering multi-gigabit operation in U.S. rail.

Nomad Digital implemented ND DTL across 144 cars from 2013–2015, providing design, hardware, installation, configuration and commissioning as an extension to Amtrak’s WiFi contract. The Nomad Digital solution delivers current throughput of 2 Gbps across dynamic consists with infrastructure capable of up to 40 Gbps end-to-end, creates a secure, scalable platform for the On-Board Information System and future condition-monitoring applications, and offers more reliable, repeatable connections than shared wireless networks.

Amtrak