Bombardier Transportation has been awarded the major contract for the Sub Surface Railway (SSR) automatic train control (ATC) signaling upgrade for London Underground in the U.K. The contract, valued at approximately $577 million, is a part of London Underground's SSR Upgrade Programme (SUP).

Bombardier will provide the proven CITYFLO 650 ATC system, its innovative communication-based train control (CBTC) technology, similar to that running successfully on the Metro de Madrid in Spain.

The full scope of the contract is for the signaling renewal and provision of an ATC system for the four sub-surface lines (Metropolitan, District, Circle, Hammersmith & City) of the London Underground network. Carrying 1.3 million passengers a day, the lines comprise 40 percent of the network and carry 25 percent of the total ridership.

Bombardier will equip the 192 miles of track line (25 miles in tunnels), 113 stations, 191 trainsets, 49 engineering trains and six heritage trains by 2018, followed by a two-year warranty period. The main project office will be in London, with Bombardier sites in Bangkok, Helsinki, Madrid, Pittsburgh, Plymouth, Derby and Reading providing much of the product supply and associated engineering works. Bombardier will equip the existing and new SSR vehicles in line with the new contract.

CITYFLO 650 is a highly proven Bombardier ATC solution operating successfully around the world on 13 lines in North America, Europe and Asia. It is a moving block, CBTC system utilizing modern radio-based wide area networks to communicate between the control center and the train.

In addition to the possibility of being installed without interruption to service and adhering to tight timelines, CITYFLO 650 can provide interoperability with legacy train control systems and can be adapted to accommodate country requirements. This advanced solution leads to improved safety, higher capacity and reliability, shorter headways between trains and reduced maintenance costs.