Siemens wins a 100 million euro contract for a driverless metro for Helsink

Erlangen, Helsinki City Transport (HKL) has chosen Siemens to renovate its metro network. HKL has contracted the Mobility Division at Siemens to supply a driverless metro system that is worth around 100 million euros. The fully automated line is scheduled to go into operation in the Finnish capital in 2013. What is new about this refurbishment is that the work will be carried out without any interruption in service and without replacing any of the existing trains.

Helsinki City Transport (HKL) and the Siemens Mobility Division officially signed a contract for renovation of the metro network in the Finnish capital. The line will be made fully automatic in 2013, without interrupting or disturbing its operation.

More passengers will be carried by the new system and they’ll enjoy a more comfortable ride as the train headway will be reduced from 4 minutes to 2 minutes. The system has to remain operational at temperatures as low as - 40°C. Siemens will supply the CBTC automated control systems (Communication Based Train Control), the Operations Control Center, the signaling system and the onboard communication facilities, together with the platform screen doors and the dynamic passenger information system.

Trainguard automated control systems made by Siemens Mobility are already in use in Paris, Beijing, New York and Guangzhou and are currently being deployed in Algiers, Budapest, Istanbul, Barcelona, Nanjing and Sao Paulo. Furthermore, Siemens Mobility has modernized to driverless the Nuremberg metro system in Germany and is currently modernizing Paris Line 1.

The Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the worldwide leading supplier of production, transportation, building and lighting technologies. With integrated automation technologies as well as comprehensive industry-specific solutions, Siemens increases the productivity, efficiency and flexibility of its customers in the fields of industry and infrastructure. The Sector consists of six Divisions: Building Technologies, Drive Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility and Osram. With around 222,000 employees worldwide Siemens Industry posted a profit of EUR3.86 billion with revenues totalling EUR38 billion. www.siemens.com/industry

The Mobility Division (Erlangen, Germany) is the internationally leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions. With its “Complete Mobility” approach, the Division is focused on networking the various modes of transportation in order to ensure the efficient transport of people and goods. Complete Mobility combines the company’s competence in operations control systems for railways and traffic control systems for roadways together with solutions for airport logistics, postal automation, rail electrification and rolling stock for mass transit, regional and mainline services, as well as forward-looking service concepts. www.siemens.com/mobility