Transport for London

Introduction

Emergency radio expert Simoco has won a contract from Transport for London (TfL) worth up to £1 million to maintain emergency radio communications in six
of London’s busiest road tunnels.

The two-year contract, which has an option to extend for a further two years, is to maintain the Radio Tunnel Public Address System in the Blackwall, East India Dock Link, Fore Street, George Green, Green Man and Limehouse Link tunnels.

TfL is required to guarantee communications for the emergency services in all the tunnels for which it is responsible as part of Health & Safety legislation. Under the terms of the contract Simoco will be responsible for maintaining radio communications within the tunnels 24 hours a day for the London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police. It will also maintain voice links to TfL’s two traffic control centres, which control traffic flows through London’s tunnels, and the data links that carry video images as well as environmental information.

Communication in the tunnels is based on well established leaky-feeder technology, in which signals radiate from a cable in the tunnel.

Simoco will be responsible for maintaining radio communications within the tunnels 24 hours a day for the London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and the Metropolitan Police.