Hitachi Rail has secured a contract with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to modernise the city’s Muni transit network using its SelTrac Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) system. This upgrade will enhance service capacity, improve efficiency, and support future growth for the network, which handles approximately 160 million passenger journeys annually.
The project will introduce CBTC technology across Muni’s entire 71-mile, 33-station system, integrating both surface and subway operations into a unified control system. CBTC uses wireless communication to regulate train movement more effectively than conventional signalling, allowing trains to run closer together and improving reliability. The contract also includes a 10-year service support agreement, with the option to extend for an additional decade.
Muni’s network is unique in its combination of heritage streetcars, light rail vehicles, and iconic cable cars, all operating across different terrains. Hitachi Rail’s modernisation will ensure seamless coordination across these diverse transport modes.
“Modernizing the Muni network of light rail Metro trains and historic streetcars with an industry leading signaling technology is an important step for the city of San Francisco. Hitachi Rail looks forward to expanding our long-standing partnership with the SFMTA, by delivering our SelTrac CBTC technology to enhance mobility, sustainability, and passenger experience,” said Ziad Rizk, Director of Urban Rail Signaling, Hitachi Rail.
“We’re grateful for the vision and foresight of the Board of Supervisors and former Mayor Breed, who gave us permission to pursue a negotiated, long-range contract, and we’re eager to start our next-generation partnership with Hitachi Rail,” said SFMTA’s new Acting Director of Transportation, Julie Kirshbaum.
The train control upgrade is expected to be completed by 2032, marking another milestone in Hitachi Rail’s 25-year partnership with SFMTA.
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