Siemens has been awarded a $156 million contract by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to install Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) on the Queens Boulevard Line, one of the busiest subway lines on the New York City Transit system. The radio-based CBTC technology provides real-time data on vehicle position and speed conditions, allowing system operators to safely increase the number of vehicles on a rail line. This results in greater frequency of train arrivals and allows MTA to accommodate more passengers on its system. The CBTC technology reduces the amount of wayside equipment and, as a result, reduces maintenance costs and service disruptions. Additionally, the technology precisely locates each train on the tracks and controls speed, improving on-time performance for riders and employees.
“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,” said John Paljug, head of Siemens Rail Automation. “We’re extremely excited to extend our technology partnership with the MTA and bring advanced automation technology to riders on the Queens Boulevard line.”
Siemens is supplying the onboard equipment for a total of 305 trains and installing the wayside signaling technology at 7 of 8 field locations. Through automated signals and sensors throughout the line, the CBTC technology provides 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. The system also reduces the amount of wayside equipment and employs back-up systems, resulting in fewer instances of service disruption and greater reliability.
The system will be managed and deployed by Siemens New York City based rail automation team of CBTC experts which has been working with NYCT for over 15 years.
Every day, over five and a half million passengers ride the over 100-year old New York City subway system. To keep pace with the increasing number of passengers, the system is continuously being modernized. In addition to the new system on the Queens Boulevard line, Siemens successfully installed CBTC technology on MTA’s Canarsie “L” line that operates from Chelsea (Manhattan), through Williamsburg to Canarsie (Brooklyn). The automation technology has allowed MTA to handle and sustain increasing ridership on the line over the last 20 years.
Siemens has proven the CBTC technology for the New York City Transit system through a four year testing project on the Culver line. Through this testing period, Siemens was able to establish one set of specifications and standards for CBTC technology on the New York City subway system that will be used for the Queens Boulevard line project and all future CBTC projects.
Siemens CBTC solution Trainguard MT is the most extensively deployed automatic train control system in the world and is used by more than 20 metro operators including Paris and Beijing. This is Siemens’ fifth CBTC project in the U.S.
Development work is expected to begin on the Queens Boulevard line late this summer with the major installation beginning in mid-2017.
