CANADA: Thales Ground Transportation Systems has been awarded a C$217m contract to supply and maintain a communications-based train control system for the Montréal metro Blue Line.
This will include the 6 km five station extension from Saint-Michel to Anjou, where construction has begun and with bids are being evaluated for the tunnelling works contract.
Announcing the CBTC contract on February 13, metro operator STM said the Blue Line’s current control system is outdated and could not be used for the extension. Replacing it would improve reliability, frequency and passenger comfort.
The control systems on the other three lines will also eventually need to be upgraded.
‘By 2030, 93% of the STM’s infrastructure will be more than 40 years into its useful life’, said STM Chair Éric Alan Caldwell. ’We need to take every opportunity to modernise our network.’
