Rail reliability depends a lot on train communications systems. Communications-based train control (CBTC) is a railway signalling system that uses telecommunications between the train and track equipment for traffic management. Singapore’s mass rapid transit (MRT) uses CBTC, which allows a train's position to be known more accurately than traditional signalling systems. The North-South and East-West lines of Singapore, managed and operated by SMRT Corporation, use CBTC signalling systems. Recently, SMRT and Thales Group, a multinational company that designs, develops, and manufactures electrical systems for the transportation sector, signed an agreement to improve the reliability of Thales’ SelTracTM communication-based train control signalling solution.
Thales and SMRT to Maintain CBTC Solutions
SMRT signed a long-term service support (LTSS) contract with Thales Group, with support from the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) for the continued reliability and availability of its SelTracTM Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system on the North-South and East-West lines.
This contract marks the 10th anniversary of the ongoing collaboration between Thales and SMRT Trains, making these two oldest MRT lines in the country more reliable.
The collaboration will focus on the real challenges and pain points of the end-user in order to improve reliability and increase service for passengers.
What do the SMRT and Thales Contract mean?
Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), both parties will share engineering knowledge and rail expertise in various areas. The companies will leverage digital technologies such as data analytics and Artificial Intelligence to unleash the full potential of theexisting signalling and rail systems.
SMRT will leverage Thales’ expertise to mine data for train control, supervision, and radio communication systems. This in turn will help SMRT to achieve greater efficiencies in the maintenance of the trains and systems.
SMRT will now be able to quickly identify the root cause of potential faults. Automatic fault diagnosis will enable timely data-driven maintenance. Reliability of the rail lines will increase with faults pre-empted.
SMRT Corp., which recently appointed SMRT CEO, Ngien Hoon Ping, is strengthening its rail systems and technologies to provide safe and reliable train journeys for commuters in Singapore. The new contract with Thales is all part of the train operator’s plans to maintain the high reliability of its train services in a sustainable way, as well as managing rail asset obsolescence.
Thales will also provide software and hardware obsolescence management to SMRT. The Thales team will work with SMRT engineers to implement cyber security enhancements to improve the system’s cyber-resilience. Commenting on the company’s efforts, SMRT CEO, Ngien Hoon Ping, said: “Through a strong partnership, sincere engagement, and efficient planning, we will continue to renew and re-engineer our railway infrastructure, trains systems, and operations to achieve operational and service excellence.”
Conclusion
The CBTC signalling systems along the North-South and East-West Lines have been operational in Singapore for around two decades. Till now, they have contributed to the smooth and efficient operation of the SMRT Trains network for its millions of commuters. The new contract between Thales and SMRT will help to enhance rail reliability even further. Commuters can enjoy a pleasant commuting experience every time.
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