USA: Communications-based train control technology has been deployed on the Media-Sharon Hill light rail network in Philadelphia.
Operator SEPTA and supplier Hitachi Rail said the approximately 19 km long Y-shaped network comprising two 1 581 mm gauge routes that serve towns of Media and Sharon Hill south of Philadelphia was one of the last such interurban corridors in the USA. Since the pandemic, a network-wide rebranding of SEPTA services has seen the two routes renumbered from 101 and 102 to D1 and D2.
Hitachi Rail has fitted the route with its SelTrac CBTC equipment that was placed into revenue service on February 25. SEPTA had awarded predecessor company Ansaldo STS a $53·2m design-build contract for the installation in 2015. The supplier said the CBTC with its flexible and scalable architecture would offer higher network capacity and improved performance for a lower capital investment and reduced life-cycle costs, whilst providing data analytics.
Automatic train protection and automatic train supervision functions are included; these are designed to enforce operational speed limits and prevent unsafe LRV movements. Lineside transponders and onboard sensors are combined to provide high‑resolution vehicle positioning, supporting vital signalling functions and ensuring reliable operations and enhanced passenger information provision.
‘This modern upgrade to SEPTA’s trolley system is a testament to Pennsylvania’s continued investment in transportation revitalisation’, said Joseph Pozza, President of Hitachi Rail in the USA. ‘Our advanced technology will help to deliver modern and reliable onboard operations that will meet passenger needs for decades to come.’
