Alstom and its partner, Barletta Heavy Division, signed a contract under which they will partner to upgrade and modernize the signaling systems on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Red and Orange subway lines. The contract is worth approximately $90 million.
Under the scope of the project, Alstom will provide Orange and Red line signal upgrades, comprising the latest generation of digital audio frequency technology, and the replacement of the existing relay-based train control with Alstom’s iVPI (integrated vital processor interlocking), the latest generation of microprocessor-based train control interlocking.
Alstom will also supply its AFTC5 track circuits, the latest in digital signaling technology, designed with the capacity to add additional speed commands in the future to take advantage of improved performance of the MBTA fleet.
Finally, Alstom will provide its new Model 5F wayside switch machines and LED signal upgrades to the Southwest corridor of the Orange line, as well as a new, fully wired central instrument houses at Ashmont station and Columbia Junction on the Red line.
By upgrading the signaling systems on the Orange and Red lines, which encompasses 41 stations, MBTA will be able to reduce headway between trains, increase the lines’ capacity and maximize fleet performance. The project is expected to be completed in 2022.
Company officials said that this latest contract extension with Metrolinx consolidates the company’s position as the leading private provider of Operations and maintenance services in North America.
The new cars, model R262, will be funded by the MTA’s 2025-29 Capital Plan, which received a historic $68 billion in funding from Governor Hochul and the State Legislature in the FY26 Enacted State Budget.
Amtrak will open grant applications March 23 for community projects near the Frederick Douglass Tunnel alignment in Baltimore as part of a $50 million investment tied to the B&P Tunnel Replacement Program.
The Denmark Station $2.3 million construction investment project includes a new 280-foot concrete boarding platform, built eight inches above the top of rail, for improved accessibility for passengers with disabilities and families with small children and much more.
Caltrain and its partners have implemented safety improvements at specific locations in response to known risk conditions, operational needs, and available funding since the agency’s founding.
On a recent episode of METROspectives, METRO Magazine’s Executive Editor Alex Roman sat down with Ana-Maria Tomlinson, Director of Strategic & Cross-Sector Programs at the CSA Group, to explore a bold initiative aimed at addressing those challenges: the development of a National Code for Transit and Passenger Rail Systems in Canada.
Competitive FTA grants will support accessibility upgrades, family-friendly improvements, and cost-efficient capital projects at some of the nation’s oldest and busiest transit hubs.
The 3.92-mile addition will soon take riders west beyond its current Wilshire and Western station in Koreatown, continuing under Wilshire Boulevard through neighborhoods and communities including Hancock Park, Windsor Square, the Fairfax District, and Carthay Circle into Beverly Hills.
