OHB Teledata and Frauscher Sensortechnik sign cooperation agreement

Berlin, 25 September 2024 – OHB Teledata GmbH, a subsidiary of the European space and technology group OHB SE, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Austrian company Frauscher Sensortechnik GmbH. Frauscher Sensortechnik is committed to providing the world's most reliable solutions for train detection and trackside object controllers. Based on the high robustness of all components used, decades of experience and a network of locations and partners around the globe, the company ensures that critical components always function reliably, and continuously provide the information that railway operators need to maximise the safety, efficiency and capacity of their networks. The agreement was signed yesterday in Berlin at the InnoTrans, the leading trade fair for rail transport technology. The cooperation is intended to advance the digital transformation of European railway systems according to the EULYNX standard. EULYNX is an association of fifteen European railway infrastructure managers that jointly develop and provide industry standards for modular interlocking technology. This makes components and interfaces interchangeable regardless of the manufacturer and device generation and increases safety in rail transportation.

The objective of the cooperation agreement is to develop object controllers that enable the digital interconnection of signals, point machines and axle counters via Ethernet-based networks, while meeting the requirements of the EULYNX standard for security and communication interfaces.

Safety and security for trackside equipment

Frauscher Sensortechnik's development work is primarily aimed at ensuring operational safety, while OHB Teledata contributes its security expertise to prevent manipulation and unauthorised access. As railway systems becomes increasingly digitalised and interconnected, the risk of cyber attacks grows. OHB Teledata addresses this threat with its cyberOHBguard series of products, which enable encrypted communication between trackside equipment and control centres. In the partnership with Frauscher Sensortechnik, unilynxOHBguard, the latest device in this series, is used.

"The digital transformation of signalling technology is essential for the sustainable modernisation of the railway infrastructure," explains Bernhard Winkler, Managing Director of OHB Teledata. "We are pleased to be working with Frauscher Sensortechnik as they are a partner who is also working towards the implementation of a manufacturer-independent, modular architecture and can offer our new product unilynxOHBguard optimal application possibilities."

"The collaboration with OHB Teledata GmbH marks a further milestone in our development as a company," adds Michael Thiel, CEO of Frauscher Sensortechnik. "Modern railway architectures require secure network communication via open networks, sometimes across several countries. The combination of safety and security required for this presents the entire railway industry with new challenges. That is why it was particularly important for us, as experts in the field of safety, to find a partner that is at least as experienced and committed as we are when it comes to data security.