Hitachi Rail has completed the latest signalling deployment on London Underground’s Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines. The deployment represents the most technically challenging milestone to date in Transport for London’s Four Lines Modernisation (4LM) project, London’s largest ever signalling upgrade.
This latest phase covers the Neasden Depot area, London Underground’s largest, and marks the most intricate deployment of Hitachi Rail’s Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) technology in the 4LM programme to date. It required seamless integration between legacy interlocking infrastructure and the CBTC solution, alongside live interface testing with the Jubilee Line’s SelTrac™ system. The operation had to be delivered with uninterrupted real-time system switching, ensuring limited disruption to passenger services across the capital.
“Delivering this phase demanded live system switching, real-time data synchronisation, and coordination across multiple lines, all with minimum disruption to operations,” said Clarke Walker, Project Director, Hitachi Rail UK.
“It’s a testament to the capability of our teams and our close collaboration with TfL.”
The Four Lines Modernisation programme is one of the largest and most complex signalling upgrades in the world. Hitachi Rail’s digital signalling and automation expertise is helping transform reliability, service frequency, and safety across nearly 40% of the London Underground network.
“This milestone showcases not only the technical strength of our systems, but the people and partnerships that made it possible,” said Andy Bell, Vice President Hitachi Rail UK. “It’s a story of precision delivery and exceptional teamwork.”
Transport for London welcomed the delivery of this phase as a crucial step in expanding the benefits of CBTC signalling across a larger part of the network.
“The Four Lines Modernisation programme is transforming how Londoners move around the city. The successful integration of this new section brings us even closer to delivering faster, more frequent, and more reliable journeys for millions of passengers,” said Peter McNaught TfL’s Director of Operational Readiness.
Image credit: iStock
