As the Prime and Systems Engineer for the SFMTA’s C3 program, B&C Transit in a joint venture effort with HNTB provided a program-wide integration and systems control methodology for the design and construction of its new Transportation Management Center (TMC).
The new TMC will replace the San Francisco Municipal Railroad’s (MUNI’s) outdated Operations Control Center (OCC) as its primary control center and will combine all of SFMTA’s control functions which are currently dispersed across the city with a new state-of-the-art facility. A key design requirement included the ongoing use and functionality of the existing OCC, which will be maintained as a backup and redundant facility to the TMC.
The new TMC will also incorporate the new Central Subway Project, which includes a 1.7 mile extension of the subway system from AT&T ballpark into the Financial District and Chinatown, currently one of the heaviest traveled bus passenger routes in the city. Because B&C Transit was also part of the design team responsible for preparing the Contract construction documents for the various communication systems for the Central Subway project our team was intimately familiar with the needs and requirements for its integration into the new TMC facility.
An integral part of the preliminary engineering work for the new TMC included an Implementation Plan, which B&C Transit prepared to include migration/phasing and cutover plans that emphasized minimal disruption to current transit revenue operations. B&C Transit also oversaw the review of the business processes that further optimized the organizational functions at the new TMC. The preliminary engineering phase also incorporated architectural, ergonomic, and industrial designs.
The new TMC also includes a new state-of-the-art integrated audio/visual system that will allow workstations and video screen walls to be configurable for various functions. The TMC will include a secure area that will have controlled access and firewall separating functions that maintain security and ease of operations. Interoperability initiatives, including ITS Standards, have also been incorporated.
The new Central Subway extension and the TMC will also incorporate an Advanced Train Control System (ATCS) that will be compatible with the existing Thales ATCS. The ATCS will be upgraded with a new System Management Center that will incorporate the open architecture, IP-based interfaces with other systems.