News Releases

Mitsubishi Electric Wins First Contract to Supply NYCT with CBTC Wayside Equipment First non-European company to supply New York City with CBTC wayside equipment

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 3491

TOKYO, February 21, 2022 - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that it has been awarded a contract to supply a communications-based train control (CBTC) wayside equipment to manage train traffic on the east end of the Queens Boulevard Line (QBL) operated by New York City Transit (NYCT), which is part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Mitsubishi Electric will supply its first CBTC equipment outside of Japan and will become the MTA's first non-European CBTC supplier. The value of the contract between MTA and Mitsubishi Electric associated with the Queens Boulevard Line East Project (QBL-E) is $62.65 million and the system is expected to enter commercial operation in 2026.

Queens Boulevard Line
CBTC wayside equipment

New signaling system uses telecommunications technology to continuously provide the 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 merely 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, so it is expected to 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 actual order was issued by MTA Construction and Development Company (MTA C&D), an MTA subsidiary, which will manage the installation.
The MTA, which plans to install CBTC systems on all NYCT subway lines, has already purchased CBTC systems from two certified suppliers. Mitsubishi Electric was certified as the MTA's third CBTC supplier in 2020,^* completing a testing program that had started in 2015. The MTA selected Mitsubishi Electric as the CBTC supplier for the current QBL-E project due to its performance in the testing program.
Mitsubishi Electric now aims to expand its supply of signaling systems to other mass-transportation operators in the global market, primarily those in North America but also selected operators in Asia where the demands for CBTC technology are growing.