Alcatel signalling for Shanghai

has been awarded a €30 million (£20 million) contract by the Shanghai Government to install its advanced radio-based signalling system for the city's new No. 6 metro line.

Under the contract, Alcatel will provide its SelTrac radio Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) solution to this newest mass transit line in Shanghai. CBTC systems determine the position of trains on the system independently of the track circuits and offer bidirectional train/wayside communication. This enables trains to operate with much closer timings while ensuring safe train separation and more flexible train control.

SelTrac includes a wireless data communication system linking the track network and the trains. This technology removes nearly all track embedded equipment and simplifies maintenance operations. The bandwidth also provides capacity to have both train control and extended on-board passenger services, such as video surveillance, operating over the same network backbone.

Alcatel was previously selected to deploy its radio CBTC system for the Shanghai No. 8 metro line, which is the first application of its kind in mainland China.