SunRail is a 61-mile commuter rail line, owned and operated by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), serving Orange, Osceola, Seminole, and Volusia counties.
As SunRail’s end-to-end solutions partner, Icomera will replace the existing, legacy Wi-Fi system with industry-leading technology aboard twenty-two cars (cabs + coaches). Keeping passengers connected, engaged and productive while travelling supports both SunRail and Icomera’s mission around green mobility and elevated passenger experiences.
Passenger Experience
Once onboard, riders will connect their devices to the SSID and receive immediate access to a localized, web-based Captive Portal. This gives passengers an always-online experience with Icomera’s proprietary network communications protocol, SureWAN™ allowing the onboard router to intelligently connect to multiple cellular and other communications networks simultaneously to maximize data capacity, coverage, availability, and redundancy.
“Given the population growth of Central Florida, the availability of a high-quality Wi-Fi network aboard the SunRail fleet will support the flexibility in work hours and locations that the ‘work from home’ transition has introduced,” says Gabriel J. Lopez-Bernal. “If a passenger’s commute can contribute towards their working day, and not disrupt it, then public transit will be the obvious and most effective modal choice.”
Consolidating Onboard Systems
Beyond providing Passenger Wi-Fi, onboard systems will be consolidated, which reduces the infrastructure and minimizes the vendor ecosystem.
Icomera will serve as an extension of the team in every task – from onboard architecture design to delivery, and post-installation support for five years. The Icomera X-Series mobile access and application router was chosen as the central connectivity platform, providing managed Internet access for the Passenger Wi-Fi and serving as the virtual application host for other onboard systems.
Partnership for Efficiency
Florida agencies continue to take advantage of new opportunities to connect the region and explore partnerships – this time with Insight Public Sector (Insight). Insight is a leading government IT solution provider and group purchasing organization.
This digital transformation effort is a partnership between Insight, FDOT, and Icomera – allowing SunRail to focus on meeting operational efficiency goals and streamlining the procurement process. In 2020, Icomera partnered with Insight to better serve nationwide public sector customers, offer stability in pricing with the best guaranteed price, and address the unique challenges of limited resources and budgets.
