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Application

Railway GNSS Positioning for Rail and Logistics

GNSS for rail and logistics must tell parallel tracks and container lanes apart, give heading for steering and stay reliable among cranes and stacks. Eview delivers this with the HB56, HB6 and HB10 receivers and EV226 and EV288 antennas, powered by Septentrio modules with AIM+ anti-jamming and up to 100 Hz output.

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0.6 cm
RTK accuracy + 0.5 ppm (H)
0.15°
Heading at 1 m (HB10)
100 Hz
Output (HB10, HB6, HB56)
<10 ms
Latency (HB10, HB6)
What vehicles need

What rail and logistics vehicles need from GNSS

Lane- and track-level position
RTK accuracy of 0.6 cm + 0.5 ppm horizontal separates parallel tracks, container rows and yard lanes that metre-level GNSS cannot distinguish. See RTK positioning.
Heading for steering
Straddle carriers and terminal vehicles need direction as well as position. The HB10 gives 0.15° dual-antenna heading at 1 m, even at standstill. See dual-antenna heading.
Fast, low-latency output
Vehicle control and collision avoidance need fresh data. The HB10 and HB6 output up to 100 Hz with less than 10 ms latency. See 100 Hz GNSS.
Working among cranes and stacks
Container stacks, cranes and steel structures cause multipath and signal blockage. APME+ reduces multipath errors and LOCK+ maintains tracking under vibration. See our straddle carrier article.
Resistance to jamming
Roads, ports and depots see RF interference, including from in-vehicle jammers on passing trucks. AIM+ suppresses jamming and Galileo OSNMA authenticates signals against spoofing. See anti-jamming receivers.
Rugged vehicle installation
The HB56 has a flange-mount metal housing, the EV226 antenna a magnetic mount with 3 m cable, and the EV288 antenna is IP67 and vibration tested. See box receivers.
Recommended products

Eview receivers and antennas for rail and logistics

ProductBest forKey specs
HB56Rail maintenance and heavy vehiclesmosaic-X5, flange-mount metal housing, SD card logging, up to 100 Hz
HB6Compact fleet and yard vehicle receivermosaic-X5, 45 g, up to 100 Hz, <10 ms latency, USB-C, microSD, 4.5–12 V
HB10Straddle carriers and vehicles needing headingAsteRx-m3 Pro+, dual-antenna RTK, 0.15° heading, 100 Hz, <10 ms latency, AIM+, OSNMA
EV226 antennaQuick installs on vehicle roofsMagnetic mount, 3 m cable, IP67
EV288 antennaPermanent mounting on rail and port vehiclesFull-band (L5, E6, L-band), 5/8-inch mount, IP67, vibration and salt-spray tested

All products are quote-based. For a complete datasheet, email sales@gnss-solutions.com. Browse all GNSS boards and GNSS antennas.

Key facts

Railway GNSS positioning: key facts

Railway GNSS positioning uses multi-band, interference-resistant receivers to locate trains, wagons and track assets, from metre-level tracking to centimetre-level RTK for track identification and monitoring.

  • Accuracy: metre level standalone, about 1 to 2 cm with RTK
  • Signals: multi-band GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou for cuttings and urban corridors
  • Interference: AIM+ anti-jamming and anti-spoofing near overhead lines and radios
  • Heading: dual-antenna heading for vehicles and port machines
  • Output: NMEA and Septentrio SBF for on-board computers and telemetry
  • Uses: train control support, asset tracking, track monitoring, port logistics
Use cases

Rail and logistics applications

Rail maintenance vehicles
Track-level positioning for maintenance trains and road-rail vehicles, with raw data logged on board for later review.
Track survey
Centimetre RTK and logged raw data for track geometry and asset surveys. See survey and GIS.
Port straddle carriers
Centimetre position and true heading for container handling, straddle carriers and automated terminal vehicles. See autonomous vehicles.
Yard and depot logistics
Tracking trailers, tractors and outdoor robots in yards and depots. See GNSS for outdoor AMRs.
Fleets and heavy transport
Lane-level positions for trucks, trailers and abnormal loads, with AIM+ protection against jamming on busy roads.
Rail corridor monitoring
Continuous monitoring of embankments, cuttings, bridges and other structures along the line. See deformation monitoring.
Integration

Easy to integrate into vehicle systems

Vehicle computers
NMEA and Septentrio SBF output over UART or USB-C to vehicle computers, telematics units and control systems. See multi-constellation receivers.
Corrections
RTCM v3 corrections from NTRIP, a CORS network or a local base in the yard or depot. See NTRIP and RTCM and base receivers.
Integrity and firmware
RAIM+ flags faulty measurements for safer vehicle decisions. See RAIM+. Firmware and manuals on firmware downloads.
Use cases

Railway GNSS positioning and logistics tracking

Rail and logistics operators need reliable positions next to overhead lines, radios and steel structures that disturb GNSS. Eview multi-band receivers, powered by Septentrio modules, add AIM+ interference protection for stable positioning.

Train control GPS support
GNSS adds an independent position source to train control systems such as positive train control, alongside GSM-R rail signalling.
Rail asset and freight wagon tracking
Rail asset tracking GPS and rail freight wagon tracking show where rolling stock is; in yards, precise rail yard locomotive GPS identifies the exact track.
Track deformation monitoring
For railroad track deformation and embankment monitoring, fixed RTK receivers measure movement over time and warn engineers early.
High speed and autonomous rail
High speed rail GNSS and autonomous rail vehicle GNSS need high update rates and continuous, consistent positioning.
Port and logistics GPS tracking
Port logistics GPS tracking for straddle carriers and terminal tractors, and logistics robot GPS tracking in large yards, need positions precise enough to identify lanes and container slots.
Mine rail haulage
Mine rail haulage GPS tracks ore trains between pit and plant, with rugged receivers built for dust and vibration.

Related: GNSS for autonomous vehicles, marine GNSS for ports and vessels and anti-jamming GNSS. Email sales@gnss-solutions.com to discuss your rail or logistics project.

FAQ

Rail and logistics GNSS: frequently asked questions

Which Eview receiver is best for a straddle carrier?

For position plus heading, the HB10 with two antennas gives 0.15° heading at 1 m, 100 Hz output and less than 10 ms latency. Where only position is needed, the HB56 in a flange-mount metal housing or the compact HB6 are good choices, both up to 100 Hz.

Can GNSS separate parallel rail tracks?

Yes, with RTK. Eview receivers deliver 0.6 cm + 0.5 ppm horizontal accuracy with RTCM v3 corrections, which is enough to tell adjacent tracks apart. Without corrections, standard GNSS accuracy is not sufficient for track-level decisions, so plan an NTRIP service or a local base along the route.

What happens in tunnels and under canopies?

GNSS needs a view of the sky, so positions are not available in tunnels and degrade under large canopies. LOCK+ and multi-constellation tracking help recover quickly afterwards, and most vehicle systems combine GNSS with odometry or inertial sensors to bridge these gaps.

How do the receivers deal with jammers on the road?

Septentrio AIM+ detects and suppresses narrowband and wideband interference, including from in-vehicle jammers on nearby trucks, and Galileo OSNMA authenticates signals against spoofing. This keeps RTK available on roads, in ports and around depots. See anti-jamming vs anti-spoofing.

Which antenna should I use on a vehicle?

For quick or temporary installations, the EV226 with a magnetic mount, 3 m cable and IP67 housing. For permanent mounting on rail and port vehicles, the EV288 full-band antenna with a 5/8-inch mount, IP67 rating and vibration and salt-spray testing.

Why use multi-band GNSS in railway applications?

Multi-band, multi-constellation receivers keep more satellites in view in cuttings, stations and cities, and cope better with interference near overhead lines and radio systems.

Is a precision GNSS receiver the same as a logistics GPS tracker?

No. A typical logistics GPS tracker reports metre-level positions for fleet visibility. A precision GNSS receiver adds multi-band RTK and heading for centimetre-level tasks such as identifying tracks, lanes or container slots.

Related reading

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