Thales and Siemens have been awarded a contract to provide a permanent communications-based train control (CBTC) test track facility for Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit (NYCT). The test facility, to be installed on an express track of the subway system’s Culver line, will offer a controlled environment for NYCT CBTC equipment scenario trials and assessment.

The four-year contract is valued at over $60 million.

CBTC technology manages all train movements and signaling, safely reducing the amount of headway required between trains. This enables an operator to increase the number of trains running on a line, providing daily riders with a safer, more comfortable and less crowded daily commute.

Under this contract, Thales and Siemens will work together to provide NYCT with a set of specifications, which will be used as a standard for NYCT’s future CBTC projects. The two companies will create a fully operational test track that will be used by NYCT to test and validate the interoperability of CBTC equipment from any supplier that complies with these published specifications.

The test track will be established on NYCT’s Culver Line, also known as the F-Line. When not in use for CBTC testing, the test track will support unequipped revenue service.