CBTC Key to Solving the Nation’s Overcrowded Transit Systems

With urban transit ridership on the rise, operating a safe and efficient train network becomes a more complex and vital undertaking for transit operators. Thales, one of the world’s leading providers of Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) systems to the world’s largest urban rail networks, is on the leading edge of equipage for transit agencies.

More specifically, ridership in New York, the U.S.’s largest transit market, is hitting unprecedented levels; nearly two-thirds of the area’s population lives with a half mile of a subway station and ridership is posting double-digit increases. Leaders from New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) said at last week’s Next-Gen Train Control Conference in Washington, D.C., that CBTC is the only way to significantly increase capacity in New York. Thales is one of two approved suppliers of CBTC systems to this key market; Thales is providing equipment to two lines – the Flushing Line and Culver Test Track -- for New York’s MTA.

Panelists at the conference, including Thales Transport Director of Business Development Jason Lauffer, said the New York market is a technology proving ground for other transit networks. To put it simply, if a CBTC solution works in NYC, it’s going to function in almost any other market in the country. However, budgets, returns on investment, system disruptions during integration, and specific network requirements make the adoption of CBTC slow around the country, panelists said.

At the conference, MTA leaders said testing and integration of the Thales equipment in New York is going well. Testing on the Flushing line is ongoing; work on the Culver Test Track will be complete later this year.