Member Article

French engineering giant secures £760m contract to upgrade Tube

Plans to update the Tub’s signalling and controls have moved forward with the appointment of French engineering company Thales.

The £760m contract will bring faster, more frequent and more reliable trains on the Circle, District, Metropolitan, Hammersmith and City lines, Transport for London says (TfL).

Nick Brown, managing director of London Underground, said: “Having successfully modernised three of the most heavily-used lines on our network, we are ready to begin work to bring the next four lines into the modern era.

“This will transform the journeys of millions of our customers, significantly increasing service reliability and frequency.”

The overall regeneration programme, which includes nearly 200 new UK-built trains, is expected to cost £5.41bn.

Patrice Caine, the boss of Thales, said: “If the Jubilee and Northern lines’ success is any indicator, future travellers on the Circle, District, Metropolitan and Hammersmith & City lines will experience faster journeys, reduced over-crowding and increased service reliability. Once completed, 60 per cent of the London Underground will have been modernised using Thales signalling technology.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ellen Forster .