Mitsubishi Electric wins first contract to supply NYCT with CBTC wayside equipment

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation was awarded a contract to supply a communications-based train control (CBTC) wayside equipment to manage train traffic on the east end of the New York City Transit’s Queens Boulevard Line (QBL). 

Mitsubishi Electric will supply its first CBTC equipment outside of Japan and notes it will become the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) first non-European CBTC supplier. The system is expected to enter commercial operation in 2026. 

The new signaling system uses telecommunications technology to continuously provide high-resolution positions of moving trains and the safety zones (moving blocks) ahead of and behind them. It will replace the QBL’s existing signaling system, which indicates the presence of trains in defined sections (fixed blocks) of track along the line. The new system will help to shorten the intervals between operating trains, helping minimize delays, improve safety and increase passenger convenience. 

Mitsubishi Electric’s CBTC wayside equipment will be installed on the QBL between Union Turnpike and Jamaica-179th Street stations. The $62.65-million contract was issued by MTA Construction and Development Company, which will manage the installation.