Hitachi Rail has successfully completed the latest signalling deployment on London Underground’s Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines. This achievement marks the most technically challenging milestone to date in Transport for London’s (TfL) Four Lines Modernisation (4LM) project, which represents London’s largest ever signalling upgrade.
This recent phase encompassed the Neasden Depot area, London Underground’s largest depot, and involved the most intricate deployment of Hitachi Rail’s Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) technology within the 4LM programme so far. The operation demanded seamless integration between legacy interlocking infrastructure and the new CBTC solution, alongside live interface testing with the Jubilee Line’s SelTrac™ system. Crucially, this had to be delivered with uninterrupted real-time system switching, ensuring minimal disruption to passenger services across the capital.
Clarke Walker, Project Director, Hitachi Rail UK, said: “Delivering this phase demanded live system switching, real-time data synchronisation, and coordination across multiple lines, all with minimum disruption to operations. It’s a testament to the capability of our teams and our close collaboration with TfL.”
The Four Lines Modernisation programme is recognised as one of the largest and most complex signalling upgrades globally. Hitachi Rail’s expertise in digital signalling and automation is playing a key role in transforming reliability, service frequency, and safety across nearly 40% of the London Underground network.
Andy Bell, Vice President Hitachi Rail UK, added: “This milestone showcases not only the technical strength of our systems, but the people and partnerships that made it possible. It’s a story of precision delivery and exceptional teamwork.”
Transport for London has welcomed the delivery of this phase as a crucial step in extending the benefits of CBTC signalling across a larger portion of the network.
Peter McNaught, TfL’s Director of Operational Readiness, commented: “The Four Lines Modernisation programme is transforming how Londoners move around the city. The successful integration of this new section brings us even closer to delivering faster, more frequent, and more reliable journeys for millions of passengers.”
