As Australia’s rail networks shift towards ever more sophisticated computing systems, the humble cable is being called upon to do a lot heavier lifting.
Video feeds, Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven sensors, high-resolution monitoring systems, and predictive analytics are rapidly replacing legacy infrastructure across transport corridors, terminals and tunnels.
At the heart of it all – unseen by passengers but essential to performance – are the fibre networks carrying a deluge of data across the network.
According to George Karanikolaou, National Product Manager at Madison Express, it’s a shift with serious implications for infrastructure planners.
“Where in the past, maybe you could get away with a 24 or 48 fibre cable, now you’re looking at needing 72, 200 or even 300 fibres – just to carry the amount of bandwidth needed,” Karanikolaou says.
Axle counters to AI
To understand the infrastructure challenges facing modern rail networks, Karanikolaou looks back a few decades.
“Traditionally, it was fairly simple switch sensors – like axle counters – that told the network where the trains were,” he says. “That evolved into data-logging sensors that could capture speed and other variables.”
Now, that model is giving way to camera-based AI systems that can analyse rail environments in real time.
“The future is going to be more AI-based. And that implies more cameras, because current AI works heavily on visual recognition,” Karanikolaou says.
These high-resolution, video-heavy systems come with major bandwidth demands – especially where safety-critical applications like level crossings and train detection are involved.
“If you’re running a rail system and you want to see whether two trains are going to crash, you can’t afford the signal to go pixelated,” he says.
“It’s not like watching Netflix at home.”
Beyond bandwidth, cabling systems in rail must stand up to a different kind of pressure: environmental abuse.
“Most transport infrastructure creates unique challenges. Cables are often installed in ducts – dark, damp spaces with plenty of water – and that’s perfect for rats,” Karanikolaou says.
Rodent attacks on cabling are a common and costly risk. For electrified rail systems, traditional metal armouring is not a safe solution.
“You can induce voltages onto the steel armouring, and that can create serious problems,” he says. “If someone’s working on a cable and it’s been energised to three kilovolts, it’s not a good day for that person.”
Instead, Madison offers non-metallic solutions such as fibre-reinforced or glass-reinforced plastic (FRP) armouring, designed to resist vermin without conducting electricity. These designs are tested to meet tough state-based standards such as Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) cable protection specifications.
Smaller, stronger, smarter
One of the less obvious constraints in rail upgrades is conduit space. As more fibre is deployed along corridors, many conduits are approaching capacity. Pulling out legacy cable is not always viable – meaning new installations need to be space-efficient.
“We’ve got a lot of cable designs that offer high fibre counts without increasing the physical size significantly,” says Karanikolaou.
“You’re not using up more conduit space, and you’re also getting better bend radii, which means you don’t need huge pits.”
Cable miniaturisation, improved bend tolerance and smarter packing densities are key areas where Madison is innovating.
“Where a traditional 144 fibre might have filled a conduit, we can now offer 160 or 180 fibres in the same footprint,” he says.
“That’s a big win when trenching is expensive and access is limited.”
Rail tunnels present another layer of complexity. Operators want cables that are submersible, flame retardant, rodent-proof and flexible – all at once.
“The problem is, the materials that are great for water submersion are often poor for flame resistance, and vice versa,” Karanikolaou says. “So, we’re always playing with material innovations to meet all these competing needs.”
The company also provides indoor-rated cabling and passive infrastructure for network rooms, including racks and non-active connection components.
“It’s not just what’s next to the rail line – you have to think about what’s inside the computer centres and data hubs too,” he says.
Karanikolaou believes the shift to AI-driven camera systems will only accelerate in rail.
“If you can have a camera that recognises something, you eliminate the need for multiple sensors,” he says.
“You might need one sensor for temperature, another for speed, another for volume. With a camera, especially one with both visual and infrared capabilities, you can do it all.”
This convergence of functions means fewer physical devices but far greater data loads. As image resolutions rise, so too do infrastructure requirements.
“That’s where we’re heading – more video, more AI, more bandwidth. And that’s where cabling systems need to be ready,” Karanikolaou says.
Still, not all operators are racing to adopt next-gen cabling.
“Australia is a fairly conservative market,” Karanikolaou says. “There’s a cautiousness – because if something goes wrong out on the network, it’s not always easy to repair.”
He points out that in Europe, where rail density is higher, operators are more likely to test emerging designs.
“Here, the distances are greater, and the repair points are fewer. So, reliability is everything,” he says.
One of the key decisions facing asset owners is whether to plan for current needs – or future ones.
“They need to decide whether to install what we call ‘dark fibre’ – cable with more capacity than needed today, but that can be used progressively over time,” says Karanikolaou.
That choice informs everything from conduit sizing to trenching costs.
“Once they’ve made that decision, it pushes them toward certain cable types. And then you have to factor in the data centres – how much capacity you need at the core, not just out at the edge,” he says.
Madison has supplied fibre cabling to a range of recent tunnel and road projects, with traction building in transport and other infrastructure sectors.
The road (or rail) ahead
Looking ahead, Karanikolaou sees more convergence, more bandwidth, and more pressure on infrastructure designers to think long-term.
“The higher the resolution goes, the more bandwidth you need,” he says. “You can’t afford lag or signal loss when you’re relying on cameras for safety.”
For operators and engineers planning their next network upgrade, he offers a simple reminder:
“Think beyond what you need today. Whether it’s the number of fibres or the resilience of your cable, the decisions you make now will shape what your network can do 10, 20, or even 30 years from now.”
That’s a future where the cable might matter more than ever.
