Press release -
Hitachi Rail delivers major milestone in London Underground’s largest ever signalling upgrade
Hitachi Rail has completed the latest signalling deployment on London Underground’s Circle, District, Hammersmith & City, and Metropolitan lines. The deployment represents the most technically challenging milestone to date in Transport for London’s Four Lines Modernisation (4LM) project, London’s largest ever signalling upgrade.
This latest phase covers the Neasden Depot area, London Underground’s largest, and marks the most intricate deployment of Hitachi Rail’s Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) technology in the 4LM programme to date. It required seamless integration between legacy interlocking infrastructure and the CBTC solution, alongside live interface testing with the Jubilee Line’s SelTrac™ system. The operation had to be delivered with uninterrupted real-time system switching, ensuring limited disruption to passenger services across the capital.
“Delivering this phase demanded live system switching, real-time data synchronisation, and coordination across multiple lines, all with minimum disruption to operations,” said Clarke Walker, Project Director, Hitachi Rail UK. “It’s a testament to the capability of our teams and our close collaboration with TfL.”
The Four Lines Modernisation programme is one of the largest and most complex signalling upgrades in the world. Hitachi Rail’s digital signalling and automation expertise is helping transform reliability, service frequency, and safety across nearly 40% of the London Underground network.
“This milestone showcases not only the technical strength of our systems, but the people and partnerships that made it possible,” said Andy Bell, Vice President Hitachi Rail UK. “It’s a story of precision delivery and exceptional teamwork.”
Transport for London welcomed the delivery of this phase as a crucial step in expanding the benefits of CBTC signalling across a larger part of the network.
“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,” said Peter McNaught TfL’s Director of Operational Readiness.
To mark the achievement, Hitachi Rail has also released a short film spotlighting the milestone and the teams behind its delivery. The video, produced with the support of Transport for London, captures real-time scenes from the commissioning weekend and includes on-the-ground reflections from the project team. It is available to watch in full HERE.
ENDS
About the 4LM project
Spanning 310 km of track and 113 stations, London Underground’s Four Lines Modernisation (4LM) programme is
one of the most ambitious signalling upgrades in the world, modernising 40% of the entire network. With 192
passenger and 33 engineering trains operating across 14 different migration areas, the project represents a
significant step forward in how digital technology can transform urban mobility. The latest milestone, delivered by
Hitachi Rail at Neasden depot, marks the most complex deployment to date, requiring the seamless integration of
modern CBTC technology into one of London’s busiest operational environments.
UK Business media Contact
Maya Dumitrumaya.dumitru@urbanandmainlines.com
UK Head External Communications for GTS line of business, Hitachi Rail
+44 7429 942 310
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About Hitachi Rail
Hitachi Rail is committed to driving the sustainable mobility transition and has a clear focus on partnering with customers to rethink mobility. Its mission is to help every passenger, customer and community enjoy the benefits of more connected, seamless and sustainable transport.
With revenues of over €7bn and 24,000 employees across more than 50 countries, Hitachi Rail is a trusted partner to the world’s best transport organisations. The company's reach is global, but the business is local - with success built on developing local talent and investing in people and communities.
Its international capabilities and expertise span every part of the urban, mainline and freight rail ecosystems – from high quality manufacturing and maintenance of rolling stock to secure digital signalling, smart operations and payment systems.
Hitachi Rail, famous for Japan's iconic high speed bullet train, draws on the digital and AI expertise of Hitachi Group companies to accelerate innovation and develop new technologies. Hitachi Group is present in 140 countries with over 270,000 employees and global revenues of €58.16bn / ¥9,7 bn.
For more information, visit hitachirail.com
