Ultra Wideband – Paris Metro is utilizing advanced technology, including solar RFID tags, to track the security and ensure the safety of hundreds of construction workers involved in the expansion of its underground rail line. The ongoing tunnel project, which commenced in March 2018, has now entered a new phase starting in March of this year.
The safety system that accompanies the construction project consists of UWB RFID-based sensors worn by personnel, which are read by a network of receivers, as well as sensors mounted throughout the tunnel for emergency reporting. The solution is provided by FS Tunnel, using UWB RFID technology from Litum IoT.
The project, known as the Grand Paris Express, commenced in 2017, is overseen by public enterprise Société du Grand Paris and consists of multiple new rapid-transit lines in the Paris region. The latest rail line comprises five stretches of tunnel, totaling 33 kilometers (20 miles) of tunnel; it requires approximately 400 workers and relies on equipment such as a tunnel boring machine (TBM) to drill out the tunnel. UWB technology is being used on three stretches.
The organization sought a system that would ensure worker safety throughout the multi-year project. The project had to meet strict safety regulations related to ensuring only authorized workers were in restricted areas, and to tracking the real-time locations and activities of workers to ensure they followed directions and avoided unsafe behaviors. Additionally, the group needed the system to minimize collision risks between employees and the TBM, as well as equipment moving on rails Ultra Wideband.
Litum designs and manufactures the technology provided by FS Tunnel, including the RTLSUWB “anchors [readers], tags, firmware and software,” says Alp Ulku, Lıtum IoT’s director of business development. FS Tunnel, meanwhile, is a specialist supplier of construction equipment for tunneling projects. “We provide tunnel cabinets [for alarms, communications and power supplies], LED lighting, telephone systems and steel pipes,” explains Erik Merkez, FS Tunnel’s CEO.
When it comes to an Solar RFID Tags deployment, Merkez says, the company not only sells the solution but also provides installation and ongoing support. For the Paris Metro safety implementation, he adds, tags were provided for all workers. In the tunnel itself, FS Tunnel installed 48 anchors (readers) that capture transmissions from the badges. Each anchor has a read distance of 150 meters (492 feet) aboveground, Ulku says, and about 100 meters (328 feet) in the tunnels.