Santiago de Chile brings a new reality to urban mobility with Thales signalling systems

With more than 7 million inhabitants and an ever growing population, Santiago de Chile has the ambition to improve urban mobility in ever safer and more efficient conditions and with low operating costs. For its new metro lines (lines 3 and 6), the city will rely on the latest driverless train control system: the Seltrac™ CBTC (Communication Based Train Control) solution from Thales. This signalling system is a critical component of the solutions delivered by the consortium comprised of Spanish railcar maker CAF and Thales. 

Key Points

• Thales has supplied its Seltrac ™ CBTC solution, one of the most modern fully automated train control systems, for lines 3 and 6 of the Santiago Metro  in Chile.
• Seltrac ™ CBTC ensures safety and efficiency across the entire route, with a 90-second interval between trains, as well as lower long-term operating costs and savings in traction power.
• Launched on November, 2^nd, the new Metro line  6 will be able to carry more than 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

With the implementation of the new line 6 system, which recently completed its final tests successfully, the new line brings a new reality to urban mobility in Chile. Launched on November 2^nd, it will have the capacity to carry more than 20,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

Together, lines 6 and 3 will have a combined length of 37 km, with 28 stations and 37 trains. Santiago de Chile currently has the most extensive network in South America.

The Seltrac™ CBTC system enables trains to operate in complete driverless mode and ensures safety and efficiency across the entire route, with a 90-second interval between trains, lower long-term operating costs and considerable savings in traction power due to innovative kinetic energy recovery and braking systems.

About Thales in Chile
Thales has been present in Chile for 50 years and has participated in many projects for the Chilean public sector, armed forces and private companies, positioning itself as strategic provider in the markets of Transportation, Defence, Aeronautics and Security.
Thales is a leader in the urban transportation market in Chile and provides the most advanced signalling systems (CBTC) and centralised command for lines 1, 3, 5 and 6 of the Santiago Metro.

In the aerospace and defence markets, Thales provides radars, air traffic control and naval systems. In commercial aviation, Thales provides avionics equipment, in-flight entertainment (IFE) systems and associated maintenance solutions. Thales also delivered 25 parabolic antennas for the ALMA astronomic observatory.