Transport and Government Secure Network (TGSN)

A future-proofed telecommunications network is fundamental to the operation of safe and reliable public transport in Victoria. VicTrack is building a new and refreshed $69 million telecommunications network that refreshes the infrastructure supporting our customers.

VicTrack began rolling out the Transport and Government Secure Network (TGSN) in June 2019 - with the project due for completion by mid 2023. The TGSN will replace ageing infrastructure that is becoming increasingly expensive and difficult to maintain. When completed, the TGSN will deliver:

  • cost savings for the state
  • opportunities for other government agencies to use TGSN, reducing network duplication and saving costs
  • improved network reliability and security
  • improved efficiency in responding to telecommunications outages
  • increased resilience against the risk of cyber-attack.

The TGSN will allow VicTrack to further build the reliability and scalability of its telecommunications network, while strengthening the performance of mission-critical infrastructure for Victoria, which is crucial to help drive future growth for the state.

The network will also enable the delivery of streamlined, standard and flexible telecommunications services for customers. VicTrack’s internal systems will also be enhanced to monitor service performance and respond proactively to customers.

A dedicated VicTrack migration team will support customers during the TGSN rollout. Customer briefing sessions and technical workshops will be organised prior to starting any service migrations.

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Estimated Start Date July 2019
Estimated Completion Date June 2023
Contact projects@victrack.com.au

Updates about the TGSN rollout are regularly communicated with key stakeholders. See below for archived issues of the recurring TGSN newsletter and introductory TGSN brochures developed for VicTrack’s transport, government and wholesale customers.


TGSN newsletter archive

June 2022 - Key TGSN progress (to April 2022), TGSN keynote presentation, Supporting transport customers' needs, Employee profile - Cliff Pfander

December 2021 - Looking back on 2021, FAQs, Employee profile - Lesley Lindsay

September 2021 - Engaging with customers, Migration status, Aligning to Victoria's Big Build, TGSN-enabled products, Employee profile - Kiran Solipuram

April 2021 - TGSN catch up, Green light for MPLS, Warrnambool Line upgrade, Rollout milestones, Employee profiles - Leo Didio and Ali Yazdi

December 2020 - MPLS solution, Rollout milestones, Employee profile - Geoff Lee

September 2020 - Product suite, Excess bandwidth, TGSN installation, Employee profile - Sladjana Gobeljic-Karapandzic and Ezio Lattanzio

July 2020 - OTN network, TGSN installation, Employee profile - Ian Burton

May 2020 - Introduction to TGSN, TGSN benefits, Employee profile - Bruce Moore


Downloads

TGSN introductory brochure

TGSN rollout for government brochure

TGSN rollout for transport brochure

TGSN rollout for wholesale brochure


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These frequently asked questions relate to key aspects of the TGSN network and rollout approach. If you have another question you’d like answered, please email projects@victrack.com.au.

Why is TGSN being rolled out?

Telecommunications is fundamental to the operation of safe and reliable rail and tram transport networks, and a future-proofed technologically-driven network is essential to meet the needs of VicTrack’s transport and government customers. Key challenges being faced include:

  • Ageing infrastructure - Around two-thirds of our fixed transmission network is ageing, meaning it is increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain. Customers require a modern reliable and resilient network with stringent security as they adopt emerging technologies.
  • Demand for public transport to increase - With the demand for public transport expected in future, more people using rail transport places more pressure on the VicTrack telecommunications infrastructure. 
  • Rail infrastructure upgrade - The Victorian Government is investing heavily in new rail transport projects. VicTrack’s telecommunications network needs to meet future rail network technologies demand.
  • Cyber security - VicTrack’s telecommunications network is classified as ‘vital critical infrastructure’ in Victoria. It is essential to keep equipment up to date to defend against the ever-increasing risk posed by cyber-attack

 How are services migrated to the TGSN?

The TGSN project team has prepared an overall migration plan for the rollout, grouping VicTrack’s telecommunications network into migration work packages. These work packages are then aligned to Victoria’s Big Build activity of works to minimise the construction impacts to Victoria’s rail network. Migration activity is locked in 6-8 weeks before commencing, with change management impact analysis conducted prior. If customers require a schedule specific to their organisation, this can be prepared on request. To organise, please email Kiran Solipuram, TGSN Migration Account Manager.

What support will be available during migration?

Most of the TGSN migration is back-end activity which involves moving VicTrack’s infrastructure with no or minimal change to the customer’s equipment. While this means customers may sometimes not even notice the migration, there is still a commitment to keep customers informed to avoid any post-migration service issues. Briefing sessions and technical workshops with customers are held prior to commencing any existing services migration.

What if my service can’t be migrated?
 
TGSN is intended to provide backward compatibility with the existing legacy telecommunications network. In the unlikely event where a customer’s existing service is non-standard and can’t be migrated, or if an old low speed service is unable to be migrated, VicTrack will discuss next steps with the customer.

What services will be available post TGSN rollout?
 
The new network will provide extended telecommunications coverage across the Victorian rail corridors to transport and government customers. This will result in improved services available to support diverse business needs, while also offering flexibility, agility and speed for emerging technologies. During migration to TGSN, transport and government customers’ services will be migrated like for like. While this means no immediate change to services, VicTrack’s customers do have the opportunity to upgrade to TGSN-enabled products and services with enhanced capabilities. These services include Wavelength, Internet, Ethernet and IPWAN.

 

 The TGSN rollout is focused on the delivery of new and upgraded network infrastructure and the migration of customers’ services to the new network environment.

The infrastructure delivery involves constructing the Optical Transport Network (OTN) base transmission and adding the IP/MPLS Network smart routing layer:

  • There are 45 OTN sites across VicTrack’s network, with this layer’s rollout fully complete. 
  • There are 377 IP-MPLS sites across VicTrack’s network, with a 100 per cent target completion by Q1 2023 (currently 69 per cent complete as at end April 2022).

There are also approximately 13,000 customer services to migrate across to the new network, which includes services such as customer help points, myki services, public announcement systems and telephony systems. The current status for the migration of customers' services is 44.5 per cent complete as at end April 2022.

There are also 1,400 services to be decommissioned, which includes legacy telephony systems and legacy transmission systems.

The TGSN rollout also provides the opportunity for customers to upgrade their VicTrack telecommunications services, with the new network enabling the delivery of improved products and services. These services include Wavelength, Internet, Ethernet and IPWAN. For more information on new services, please contact your VicTrack Account Manager.