Skip to main content

Thales to upgrade New York’s Queens Boulevard subway line

In a contract worth US$49.6 million from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Thales is to upgrade the New York subway’s busy Queens Boulevard Line with its signalling solution. The contract includes the deployment of the Thales’s communications-based train control system, SelTrac CBTC, as well as the supply of equipment for the line’s train fleet. Design work for the Queens Boulevard Line is getting underway and installations are expected to begin in mid-2017.
October 1, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
In a contract worth US$49.6 million from the New York 1267 Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), 596 Thales is to upgrade the New York subway’s busy Queens Boulevard Line with its signalling solution.

The contract includes the deployment of the Thales’s communications-based train control system, SelTrac CBTC, as well as the supply of equipment for the line’s train fleet. Design work for the Queens Boulevard Line is getting underway and installations are expected to begin in mid-2017.

The contract is one of two that will allow New York City Transit to operate more trains per hour on this line, thereby increasing passenger capacity, and provide improved and more reliable services.  When complete, this multi-year contract will enable the line to use a CBTC system on multiple routes. The other contract was awarded to 189 Siemens.

MTA sees the line as being the first interoperable line in the world, which will allow Thales’ equipment to work seamlessly with other CBTC suppliers’ equipment.

SelTrac CBTC continuously updates train positions, distances and travel speeds, allowing for faster and more efficient operations. Continuous updates allow the subway system to recover quickly from delays and restore consistent wait times at subway stations for passengers.

The installation of SelTrac CBTC will maintain the signalling system in a state of good repair and will also enhance safety for passengers and employees alike. With CBTC, NYC Transit can program a work zone so trains cannot exceed a set speed, making the work zone much safer for workers on the tracks.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • CTS to expand contactless in NYC
    February 9, 2021
    Payment options will include a mobile app, digital wallets and tap-in bank cards 
  • Kapsch equips high speed line in Spain with latest train communication technology
    April 2, 2012
    Kapsch CarrierCom has successfully implemented the latest train security and communication technology on the first high speed line in the Galicia region in the North West of Spain. The route between Orense and Santiago covers 87 km of tracks with 29 km of tunnels through a very mountainous area. Kapsch has been the Base Station Subsystem (BSS) GSM-R system turnkey supplier including network design, network integration and optimisation to the project. The company has also supplied all site infrastructure req
  • VTT launches AV for snow and ice conditions, Finland
    December 18, 2017
    VTT Technical Research Centre (VTT) of Finland has launched what it claims to be the first autonomous car (AC) to have successfully driven on a real snow-covered road. It also reached speeds of up to 40 km/h during a trial on the Aurora E8 intelligent road in Muonio.
  • TransCore to design NYC connected vehicle pilot program
    October 21, 2015
    The New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) has selected TransCore to lead the initial design of its recently announced Connected Vehicle Pilot Deployment Program. When deployed, this project will integrate TransCore’s TransSuite traffic management system technology with an in-vehicle device to further improve traffic flow, reduce accidents and improve pedestrian safety.