Digital Train Rail Improvements

Hitachi Rail’s Communications‑Based Train Control (CBTC) system has been deployed on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) to underpin the operation of a new fleet of 54 trains, providing digital signalling that supports enhanced safety, reliability, and availability across a 45‑station urban light‑rail network that carries over 100 million passengers annually. The digital CBTC implementation builds on more than three decades of Hitachi Rail’s signalling work on the DLR, and the system is presented as a core component for enabling automated, high‑frequency service patterns and future network extensions.

The CBTC rollout is positioned to deliver operational benefits including improved headways, greater service flexibility, and platform‑level train control that facilitate capacity increases without proportional infrastructure expansion, while supporting digitalisation and sustainable mobility objectives through more efficient train movement and energy‑aware operations. Hitachi Rail highlights long‑term collaboration with transport authorities and the role of CBTC in modernising urban rail signalling to meet future demand and network growth requirements.

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