Thales has been invited to tender for London Underground’s Sub-Surface railway signalling contract.
The contract, which will see capacity increased markedly on the Circle and Hammersmith & City lines, the District line and Metropolitan line, had previously been let to Bombardier.
In December 2013, LU and Bombardier announced that they had mutually agreed to re-let the contract.
Mike Brown, managing director of London Underground, said: “This is an important step in ensuring that the delivery of this vital upgrade remains on course.
“The signalling system on these lines is some of the oldest in use anywhere in the world, with some of it dating back to the 1930s. The modernisation work will mean more frequent, more reliable and less crowded journeys for our customers and will help us meet rapidly growing customer demand.
“We will only enter in to a contract if I am absolutely certain that Londoners are getting value for money and if I have absolute confidence in the delivery schedule.”
The new contract is expected to be awarded this summer.
