London Underground's Connect Project

Abstract

London Underground is currently procuring via the UK government's Private Finance Initiative (PFI) the replacement of its existing train, station and depot radio systems with a single trunked private mobile radio system and the installation of a new fibre optic transmission network which will support services such as telephony, customer/staff information systems and IT as well as a video transmission network with capability to serve all operational sites. The main drivers for the Project are due firstly to the fact that many of the existing radio and transmission systems are beginning to reach the end of their useful lives and require replacement. Secondly the existing systems no longer provide the functionality and types of service required for a modern mass transit railway serving a large urban area such as London. The Connect Project aims to provide a fully integrated communications system which will serve London Underground well into the 21st century and support new types of services and more efficient ways of working which will bring benefits to both the customers and staff of London Underground. This paper gives an overview of the history of the project, the government's PFI and how it relates to London Underground's Connect Project, the procurement process and a description of the likely technologies and their deployment.