Skip to main content

Siemens to automate New York’s Queens Boulevard subway

Siemens has been awarded a US$156 million contract by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to install communications-based train control (CBTC) on the Queens Boulevard Line, one of the busiest subway lines on the New York City transit system. Siemens is supplying the onboard equipment for a total of 305 trains and installing the wayside signalling technology at seven of eight field locations.
August 28, 2015 Read time: 2 mins

189 Siemens has been awarded a US$156 million contract by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to install communications-based train control (CBTC) on the Queens Boulevard Line, one of the busiest subway lines on the New York City transit system.

Siemens is supplying the onboard equipment for a total of 305 trains and installing the wayside signalling technology at seven of eight field locations.

The radio-based CBTC technology provides real-time data on vehicle position and speed conditions, allowing system operators to safely increase the number of vehicles on a rail line. This results in greater frequency of train arrivals and allows MTA to accommodate more passengers on its system. The technology reduces the amount of wayside equipment and, as a result, reduces maintenance costs and service disruptions. Additionally, the technology precisely locates each train on the tracks and controls speed, improving on-time performance for riders and employees.

The system will be managed and deployed by Siemens New York City based rail automation team of CBTC experts which has been working with NYCT for over 15 years.

“Through our work on the Canarsie line, we’ve seen first-hand that CBTC technology can have a significant positive impact on ridership for the New York City subway system,” said John Paljug, head of Siemens Rail Automation. “We’re extremely excited to extend our technology partnership with the MTA and bring advanced automation technology to riders on the Queens Boulevard line.”

Development work is expected to begin on the Queens Boulevard line late this summer with the major installation beginning in mid-2017.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Connected vehicles - potential to transform US transportation
    April 12, 2013
    There’s a new face in the driving seat at the US Department of Transport’s ITS Joint Program Office. Fortunately, as Robin Meczes finds out, he’s no learner driver… Ask Kenneth Leonard why he wanted his new job as director of the ITS Joint Program Office, and his answer comes back without a second’s delay. “The potential to save lives, reduce injuries and help people enjoy a more efficient transportation system is the kind of challenge that makes me want to come to work each morning,” he says. “In my opinio
  • GMV system upgrades Cyprus's buses to improve traffic conditions
    December 22, 2017
    Cyprus's Transport and communications minister, Marios Demetriadis, travelled onboard one of the country's modernized buses fitted with GMV's fleet-management system to provide riders with real-time, bus stop and status information and improve the region's public transport services. This equipment has been installed in two-thirds of the 790 vehicles and will include fleets from Nicosia and Limassol in December.
  • Debating the future development of ANPR
    July 31, 2012
    What future is there for automatic number plate recognition? Will it be supplanted by electronic vehicle identification, or will continuing development maintain the technology's relevance? In recent years, digitisation and IP-based communication networks have allowed Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to achieve ever-greater utility and a commensurate increase in deployments. But where does the technology go next - indeed, does it have a future in the face of the increasing use of, for instance, Dedi
  • Hong Kong's integrated traffic management system
    May 22, 2012
    Hong Kong’s Route 8 now features an extensive and advanced traffic control and surveillance system developed to overcome challenges of great scale and complexity, write Delcan vice president Rex Lee and MD Joseph Lam