SFMTA awards WSP-PGH Wong Joint Venture program management contract for train control upgrades project

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) has selected WSP-PGH Wong Joint Venture (JV) to provide program management support for its Train Control Upgrade Project (TCUP).  

TCUP will design and install a new communications-based train control (CBTC) system for Muni Metro trains throughout San Francisco’s 71-mile rail network. This modern CBTC technology will enhance automatic train control in the subway and extend to on-street service. The CBTC will help reduce travel and wait times, expanding Muni Metro’s capacity by up to 20 percent and promoting reliability, efficiency and safety with fewer system failures. 

WSP has partnered with engineering and architecture consulting firm PGH Wong to provide consulting services for the life of the project, from initiation to post-delivery support. 

The JV’s scope of services includes supporting management of the program; design engineering compliance and construction, including systems engineering and integration, testing and commissioning; and post-delivery maintenance support. Hitachi Rail GTS USA will supply the CBTC system for the project’s nine-year design and delivery schedule, with the new system projected to enter passenger service from 2028 to 2034. 

“The Train Control Upgrade Project represents a five-generation leap forward in the technology we use to manage Muni Metro service. I’m especially proud of how intentionally we’re working to better manage risk to a degree we’ve never done before,” said Dan Howard, SFMTA’s TCUP project manager. “Our partnership with WSP-PGH Wong Joint Venture will add their vital modern train control knowledge to help us see through blind spots and navigate challenges.” 

Additionally, throughout the project, the WSP-PGH Wong JV will help the SFMTA enhance its organizational capacity to manage the new CBTC system. 

“The success of a project is measured not just by the technology that’s deployed, but by the talent that’s created,” said Siv Bhamra, project manager and senior vice president of transit and rail engineering, WSP in the U.S.