New signalling technology for Circle and Hammersmith & City Lines 2018

Thales has tested a new signalling control system on sub-surface trains on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, which enable trains to run closer together. The test aims to provide a more frequent service, reduce waiting times and help boost capacity for the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. The system will go live on the first section of the network as early as 2018.
October 17, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

596 Thales has tested a new signalling control system on sub-surface trains on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, which enable trains to run closer together. The test aims to provide a more frequent service, reduce waiting times and help boost capacity for the Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines. The system will go live on the first section of the network as early as 2018.

Further testing weekends will commence in the coming months as the system is being progressively installed across more of the network with a capacity increase of up to 33% across all four lines, which makes up 40% of the underground. It will also mean that Night Tube services can be introduced on these lines in the future.

The system is designed with the intention of reducing the number of signalling problems and improve the accuracy of real-time customer information. Services will begin to increase in frequency from 2021 when more of the network is operating the new system, and all four lines will be using the system by 2023.

Testing took place between Hammersmith and Latimer Road and featured three newly-enabled S Stock Trains. It involved using a signalling system to manage the distance between trains. The new S Stock trains are currently having new equipment installed, with 30 already fitted by 513 Bombardier.

The next testing weekend will start in December, with installation work continuing throughout the year.

Related Content

  • February 3, 2012
    Detection analysis technology successfully predicts traffic flows
    David Crawford investigates new detection analysis technology from IBM. Locations on both the East and West Coasts of the US are scheduled for early deployments of IBM's new Traffic Prediction Tool (TPT) statistical analysis model for the fine-time resolution and near-term prediction of road flow conditions. Developed by IBM's Watson Research Laboratories, TPT is designed to analyse data from the the key detection indicators - average vehicle volumes and speeds passing a location in a given time interval -
    Read More
  • December 5, 2018
    IBTTA summit hits right notes in Salzburg
    In the birthplace of Mozart, Colin Sowman found that delegates at the IBTTA’s inaugural World Tolling Summit were playing a variety of interesting tunes The first World Tolling Summit took place in Salzburg, Austria this autumn. Created and organised by the International Bridge Tolling and Turnpike Association (IBTTA), the event was supported by its European counterpart Asecap and hosted by Austria’s tolling authority, Asfinag. The transfer of views, experience and practice both ways across the Atl
    Read More
  • August 24, 2021
    Transit’s Covid clean-up operation
    The onset of Covid-19 saw ridership on public transport slump drastically. How will the organisations that provide these essential services persuade customers back on board?
    Read More
  • December 19, 2017
    USDoT pilots show win-win potential for connected vehicles
    Pete Goldin discovers the state of play with connected vehicles trials in the US and the impact of Hurricane Irma on Tampa’s pilot. The US Department of Transportation’s (USDoT’s) connected vehicle (CV) pilot sites have moved into phase 2 of the deployment programme– design, build, test and, maybe most importantly, collaborate.
    Read More

Highlighted Content