Keeping trains moving
The future of metro signalling has arrived with Thales SelTracTM G7
- Extra capacity for metro and urban rail networks
- Keeps trains moving, even when there’s disruption
- Ready for autonomous operation
Metro operators are the secret superheroes of our cities. It takes dedication to keep a busy metro network running smoothly. The challenges are enormous. The world’s metros now handle an incredible 62 billion journeys every year. And that number is rising all the time.
Even superheroes need help sometimes. Our customers face tough challenges every day. For example, if a train breaks down, everything behind it stops. So operators need ways to keep trains moving. Capacity is another challenge – operators have to squeeze every last drop out of their networks. Last but not least, there’s a need to reduce operation and maintenance costs.
“Our customers have big ambitions,” says Arnaud Besse, Marketing & Communications Director for Urban Rail Signalling at Thales. “They want to make the most of new communications technologies, such as LTE. And they want to be ready for the future. That means having everything in place to enable autonomous operations.”
Thales SelTrac™ G7 meets all of our customers’ needs in a single solution. It’s the seventh generation of our world-leading SelTrac™ CBTC platform and it combines the best of our existing functions with some important new ones. So what’s new?
“To keep trains moving, no matter what happens, it allows bi-directional operation,” explains Besse. “This means you can reverse a single train – or even traffic on a whole line – if the track ahead is blocked.”
At the trackside, SelTrac™ G7 eliminates the need for axle counters and track circuits, saving millions in capital and maintenance costs. And in the OCC, we’ve transformed the ergonomics of the Automatic Train Supervision (ATS) operator interface. It’s completely web-based, so operators can have a customized set-up.
On the train itself, there’s more space for passengers because on-board equipment has been reduced by a third. The new radar feature will get trains into stations faster with even better stopping precision.
We are transforming communications. SelTrac™ G7 works with any communication system, including LTE. We’re also introducing new tools, including our Health and Monitoring System (HMS) to watch over the system and ease maintenance.
Finally, everything is Cybersecured by Design.
“The beauty of G7 is that it makes it possible for our existing customers to migrate to a current state-of-the-art CBTC solution, without having to go through a complex re-signalling project,” says Besse.
The building blocks of SelTrac™ G7 system architecture are already helping our customers to achieve their goals. They’re helping London Underground to run more trains. In Hong Kong, seamless switching between Wi-Fi and LTE is transforming system resilience – a standard G7 capability.
SelTrac™ G7 also anticipates our customers’ future needs. It’s autonomy ready, with components and architecture to support migration to autonomous operations. That’s why we’re calling SelTrac™ G7 the enabling platform for autonomy.