Beijing extends its subway system

The extension of Beijing’s subway lines is making rapid progress. As for other lines in the past, Siemens will again supply the Trainguard MT automatic train control system for the Olympic Line 8 and Ring Line 10. The Chinese infrastructure operator Beijing Mass Transit Railway Construction Administration Co., Ltd. (BMTRC) has placed an order with Siemens and its local partner, China National Railway Signal & Communication Corporation (CRSC). The order is worth a total of 65 million euros. The extension project is designed to ease the burden on the traffic situation in the Chinese capital.
The Olympic Line 8 and Ring Line 10 have been running successfully since the Olympic Games were held in Beijing in 2008, with the automatic train control system Trainguard MT ensuring safe, punctual and efficient services on these lines ever since. The planned extension of Line 10, which covers 32 kilometers and 23 stations, is to link up with the subway system to the southwest of Beijing by the end of 2012. When it does, it will be the longest metro line in the world to be equipped with a radio-based system for train control (Communication Based Train Control: CBTC) between the rail vehicle and the trackside equipment.
Line 8 currently connects the Olympic Park to Line 10. During the second extension phase, this important north-south link will be extended by a total of 17 kilometers and 12 stations. Passenger services are due to commence as of the end of 2012, thereby considerably increasing the transport capacity of the urban subway system.
Siemens Mobility will supply the Trainguard MT and radio system for both lines, equip the operations control center, the way side facilities comprising the interlockings, and also provide the onboard components for 82 trains.
As in the first phase of the extension, the moving block principle will be applied on both lines and radio data transmission via WLAN will be used. Moving blocks enable the trains to operate within absolute braking distances. Thanks to the integrated automatic driving system, the train ensures a smooth and comfortable ride and stops exactly at the platform doors. With this system, rail operators can optimize the capacity of their railway networks, for example by means of reduced train intervals. Used in combination with continuous and bidirectional communication via WLAN, headways of 90 seconds can be achieved. This means that more trains can run and more passengers can be transported at the same time.
Besides in the Chinese cities of Guangzhou, Nanjing and Beijing, the Trainguard MT train control system has been deployed on metro lines in Algiers, Barcelona, Helsinki, Istanbul, Paris and Sao Paulo.

Source: Transportweekly