Siemens has secured a $156m contract from the New York City’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in the US to install communications-based train control (CBTC) on the Queens Boulevard Line.
The radio-based CBTC technology offers real-time data on vehicle position and speed conditions, allowing system operators to safely increase the number of vehicles on a rail line, as well as help MTA to accommodate more passengers on its system.
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The system also reduces the amount of wayside equipment and, as a result, reduces maintenance costs and service disruptions.
In addition, the CBTC technology precisely locates each train on the tracks and controls speed, improving on-time performance for riders and employees.
Siemens Rail Automation head John Paljug said: "Through our work on the Canarsie line, we’ve seen first-hand that CBTC technology can have a significant positive impact on ridership for the New York City subway system."
The upgrades will increase number of trains running on the Queens line, as well as increase passenger capacity.
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By GlobalDataUnder the deal, Siemens is supplying the onboard equipment for a total of 305 trains and installing the wayside signaling technology at seven of eight field locations.
The CBTC technology offers continuous updates on system status that results in fewer delays and up-to-date travel information shared with riders via public address systems, electronic screens and mobile applications.
Siemens’ New York City-based rail automation team of CBTC experts, which has been working with NYCT for more than 15 years, will be responsible for managing and deployment of the system.
Apart from the Queens Boulevard line, the company has successfully installed CBTC technology on MTA’s Canarsie L line that operates from Chelsea (Manhattan), through Williamsburg to Canarsie (Brooklyn).
As part of the deal, development work is expected to start on the Queens Boulevard line later this year with the major installation beginning in mid-2017.
Siemens CBTC solution Trainguard MT is the most extensively deployed automatic train control system and is used by more than 20 metro operators worldwide.
Image: Trainguard allows the New York subway to sharply increase the number of trains. Photo: courtesy of Siemens.
