Alstom and Thales have been shortlisted by East Japan Railway to install communications-based train control on a 29.7 km section of the Joban local line, north of Tokyo, that connects Ayase with Toride.
JR East invited expressions of interest for the project, which will see the amount of lineslde cabling reduced and the abolition of track circuits, in June last year, as the existing ATC equipment is becoming life expired.
A preferred bidder will be announced later this year with work expected to completed around 2020.
In addition to abolishing the use of track circuits in favour of reporting a train’s location via radio, moving-block CBTC will allow the introduction of a more frequent service which could run at shorter headways.
The new technology will also allow bidirectional running resulting in minimum disruption should a train fail or in the case of track maintenance. Another benefit is that fewer skilled staff will be required in a country with an ever increasing ageing population.
This pilot project will enable JR East to compare the technology with its own ATACS moving-block train control system which is currently being piloted on the Senseki line in Sendai.
