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yesterday

Subway Signal Overhaul Lags Years as MTA Approves $47 Million 5G Retrofit

The approval follows consultant findings that upgrades on four lines are years behind schedule and exceed original budgets.

The MTA's shutdown of the G train during the summer of 2024 promised to upgrade the line's signals. The project is already two years behind schedule.

Overview

  • An independent engineering firm reported that CBTC upgrades on the F, A/C/E and G lines face delays of one to three years and have run millions over their initial budgets.
  • The MTA board’s Capital Program Committee voted to modify Hitachi’s contract by $47 million to install 5G radios on R211 train cars so they can interface with modern signal systems.
  • Federal Communications Commission sign-off on 5G equipment is still pending, delaying the start of system commissioning and service improvements.
  • Officials blame obsolete 4G transceivers unsupported by Siemens and a shortage of qualified engineers for the prolonged schedule slippage.
  • Revised completion targets now stand at September 2025 for the F line in Brooklyn, October 2027 for the A/C/E, March 2028 for the eastern Queens F line and July 2029 for the G line.