Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to install CBTC on Berlin Metro lines U5 and U8, for the first time. EUR 200 million is the value of the contract including additional long-term technology maintenance contracts.
The state-of-the-art Trainguard MT CBTC solution will enable semi-automated operation (GoA2: Grade of Automation) on the U5 line by 2029 and on the U8 line by 2032, increasing capacity on these lines by around 30%. “In figures, this modern technology means a capacity increase of up to 30 percent. And that on the existing route and without the need to build new tracks,” BVG says.
Technically speaking, CBTC technology even allows headways of less than 100 seconds. This technological advance will also significantly improve the reliability and punctuality of the two metro lines.
Siemens Mobility will carry out the conversion during ongoing operations so that trains on both lines of Germany’s largest metro system can continue to run uninterrupted throughout the entire project.
The CBTC on Berlin Metro will be installed on 40 km tracks which includes all 26 stations on the U5 line and 24 stations on the U8.
Siemens Mobility will completely replace the existing signalling system with its digital CBTC technology to enable more efficient and centralized monitoring of operations and a higher level of automation and connectivity.
When the system is installed, the semi-automated operation will allow trains to communication continuously with the trackside, run automatically at specified safety intervals, perform emergency braking, and accelerate and brake autonomously. The train driver can then concentrate on boarding and alighting passengers, monitor the route visually, and intervene in an emergency. By relying on real-time data on train positions and speeds, more trains can run at shorter headways along the line.
The U5 and U8 lines were selected first to be equipped with CBTC because the train protection technology on these lines needs to be renewed.
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