Hong Kong’s metro operator MTR has awarded Thales a contract to provide a signalling system on the HK$64.9bn ($8.36bn) Shatin to Central Link (SCL) metro line.
Under the contract, Thales will add its signalling structure to the SCL’s Phase 1 segment using a communications-based train control (CBTC) system.
The project also involves upgrading the Ma On Shan Line (MOL) and West Rail Line (WRL) to facilitate fully automatic train operations.
Thales installed its CBTC system on MOL and WRL tracks in 2003-04.
The new SCL project will link a number of existing railway lines to form two strategic railway corridors, East West and North South.
The existing MOL line, which starts at Wu Kai Sha Station, will connect with the WRL line, forming a continuous 57km line that is intended to improve connectivity to the New Territories.
MTR projects director TC Chew said: "Extending and upgrading a heavily-used network without impacting on our customer service is a challenging task. We look forward to having Thales’s team with their professional excellence in meeting our pledge."
Thales Hong Kong country director James Kilazoglou said: "The SCL is now our seventh signalling project in Hong Kong, and we are proud to be part of MTR’s growth activities to continually improve mobility in the city and surrounding areas."
Thales’s SelTrac CBTC system currently operates on more than 1,300km of track in major urban centres around the world, carrying an estimated three billion passengers a year.
Image: The new SCL project will link a number of existing railway lines to form two strategic railway corridors. Photo: courtesy of Thales Group.
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