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Replacing the former paper-based system, the integrated contactless ticketing solution on lines 1, 2 and 8 (or ‘Batong') forms part of a wider project launched in 2006 to overhaul the entire Beijing Metro. All seven of the capital's metro lines will be equipped and the system is fully interoperable. One of the new features of the new system in place is the contactless "city card", an e-purse that allows passengers to travel on the metro and also pay for taxis, buses and other small purchases.

Thales teamed with local company Beikong and LG of Korea to supply fare management, collection and control systems for the three lines. To accommodate the city's growing volume of passengers, 1,153 entry and exit ticket validation units have been installed at the 50 stations along the lines. 754 point-of-sale terminals have also been installed at stations, together with 39 terminals inside station control areas to allow users to top up the balance of their cards. Two central control systems and 52 equipment units in stations ensure end-to-end management of the integrated fare collection system.

"The Beijing Metro modernisation project is nothing short of a revolution for our passengers. The system has been launched in June and will be used during the Olympic Games," said Mr. Zhang Shuren of Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corporation Ltd. ". Thales has met all of our requirements, providing invaluable support throughout this large-scale project and delivering its solution on time."
"This project was a major challenge for our teams due to the large passenger volumes involved, requiring us to install and integrate a significant number of equipment units, but we raised the challenge and we are pleased to have delivered this complex system in time for the Olympics Games," commented Jean-Marc Gardin, Vice President and Managing Director of Thales Transportation Systems. "China, where Thales already has an extensive presence, represents a huge opportunity for us, as the increasing population in urban areas generates a growing demand for modern and efficient public transportation."

About Thales

Thales is a leading international electronics and systems group, addressing defence, aerospace and security markets worldwide. Thales's leading-edge technology is supported by 22,000 R&D engineers who offer a capability unmatched in Europe to develop and deploy field-proven mission-critical information systems. To this end, the group's civil and military businesses develop in parallel and share a common base of technologies to serve a single objective: the security of people, property and nations. The group builds its growth on its unique multi-domestic strategy based on trusted partnerships with national customers and market players, while leveraging its global expertise to support local technology and industrial development. Thales employs 68,000 people in 50 countries with 2007 revenues of €12.3 billion.

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Caroline Philips
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