OREANDA-NEWS.Thales was awarded a €17 million contract for the design and manufacture of signaling, communications and Operational Control Centre (OCC) systems for the Danhai Light Rail Transit project, Taiwan’s second Tramway line and one of the first Tramway projects in Asia Pacific.

Taiwan’s local industry giant China Steel Corp. along with its subsidiaries United Steel Engineering & Construction Corp. and Taiwan Rolling Stock Co., will construct Danhai’s Light Rail Phase 1 Corridors, including the Green Mountain Line (11 stations), a section of Blue Ocean Line (3 stations) and a depot. This project, expected to be completed in 2018, will run a total of approximately 10 km.

In undertaking this project, the New Taipei City government is preparing its public transportation infrastructure in anticipation of expected population growth, Danhai being in close proximity to Taiwan’s capital city Taipei. Today, the government has further plans to build over 4 other similar lines in the next 4 to 7 years.

The Danhai project is the first to employ a local Taiwanese solution to which Thales will bring its global expertise and knowledge of critical rail system solutions.

Thales, a leader in cutting-edge urban transportation technology, has already delivered numerous metro projects in Malaysia, Hong-Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, and China. This first LRT project in Taiwan therefore represents a key milestone for Thales extending its footprint in Asia.

“Taiwan is among the most mature and demanding public transport markets in Asia, it is no surprise if it is the first to introduce LRT lines in the Region. We believe in Taiwan as a showcase for this emerging segment, and we believe in our partner to jointly deliver this iconic project”

Jean-Louis Moraud, Managing Director of Thales in Japan and Taiwan