NEW York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) has awarded a contract to the Crosstown Partners consortium formed by Thales and TC Electric (TCE) to supply CBTC signalling and associated systems to help improve punctuality and commuter journey times on New York Subway’s Crosstown Line connecting Brooklyn and Queens.

As part of the $US 368m contract, Thales will supply the SelTrac CBTC technology and maintenance of the system for 25 years, and TC Electric will act as construction contractor upgrading the stations, track and trackbed. Both consortium partners have many years’ experience of involvement in MTA projects. Crosstown Partners was announced as preferred bidder for the contract in December 2022.

The Crosstown Line is 16km long with 21 stations. Before the Covid-19 pandemic it carried tens of thousands of passengers per day. The new project will see the line undergoing a major technology upgrade which is expected to take less than five years to complete but which is likely to provide safety and reliability improvements for years to come.

In December New York City Transit, operator of the City Subway network, celebrated carrying its one billionth passenger of 2022 - although ridership is currently at 60% of 2019 pre-pandemic levels.

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