Tokyo’s Marunouchi line orders communication-based control system

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has received an order by Tokyo Metro for radio equipment to be used in what is believed to be Japan’s first communication-based train control system (CBTC) for subways.

The delivery includes wayside radio equipment for a branch of Tokyo Metro’s Marunouchi line between Nakano-sakaue and Honancho stations, and on-board radio equipment for a train that will be operated on the line.

The equipment will be evaluated and verified through trial operations with a full commercial deployment on the entire Marunouchi line hopefully by the end of 2023’s economic year. CBTC systems are being used to upgrade the detection of train locations and the management of train intervals, which are conventionally performed with wayside equipment (e.g. track circuits and signals).

CBTC systems can enhance high-density train operations and reduce the costs of wayside equipment maintenance. However, increasing demands to ensure railway system safety and security are creating needs for advanced security solutions and radio equipment that is highly resistant to radio wave interference.

Mitsubishi Electric has responded to these demands by leveraging radio communication technologies that the company has cultivated in fields including aerospace. The company will assist Tokyo Metro in the verification tests of the recently delivered wayside and on-board radio equipment.

Features of CBTC systems include reliable and continuous communication due to resistance to interference from other equipment. Stable communication with encryption key management creates an advanced security system offering safe and secure train control, preventing unauthorised access and information leakage. The high-accuracy simulations from the CBTC systems enable the amount of wayside radio equipment to be at a minimum; reducing equipment costs.