Thales awarded signalling contract for new Salvador metro

Key points

• Thales will deliver its CBTC signalling solution to lines 1 and 2 of the new metro.
• This is Thales’s third CBTC contract in Brazil since 2010.

Thales has been selected by metro operator CCR Metrô Bahia to provide a signalling solution to lines 1 and 2 of the new metro in Salvador, Brazil’s third largest city.

Thales will deliver its world leading SelTrac® Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling solution, providing fully automatic driverless operation. Lines 1 and 2 cover a combined distance of 31 kilometres and serve of 19 stations.

The project’s conclusion is expected in the first half of 2017. Thales’s system will optimise capacity and journey times, benefitting passengers in Salvador, Lauro de Freitas and the whole metropolitan area.

The new metro will be part of an integrated transportation system. Notably, it will serve Luiz Eduardo Magalhães International Airport, connecting it to the other transport systems.

This is the third CBTC contract that Thales has signed in Brazil since 2010. The two prior contracts were for Line 17 of the São Paulo metro and for the monorail in Manaus; both projects that will be fully automated and driverless. In Brazil, the Group has also provided signalling and communication solutions to Santos’ tramway. Thales has been growing exponentially in the transportation sector in this country and intends to expand its footprint further in order to contribute to the modernisation of Latin America’s rail transportation infrastructure.

Thales’s CBTC technology was first deployed in 1985 and has been continually innovated since. This solution has evolved over time and operators continue to benefit from a proven technology that optimises operating and maintenance costs throughout the system’s life cycle. To date, Thales has applied its CBTC signalling solution to nearly 60 projects in over 30 major cities worldwide, moving 3 billion passengers per year.

“Since the very start of the negotiations, Thales has demonstrated seriousness and commitment to our goals. We believe that such an attitude, along with the company's experience, will be key to the success of this project.”

Harald Zwetkoff, President, CCR Metrô Bahia.