Community of Metros News:  2025 Virtual Events

The TSC continues to host virtual events throughout the year ensuring timely sharing of research findings with COMET members. The virtual events are regularly held following the annual work programme.

Virtual General Meetings (VGMs)

Two VGMs were held in 2025, one in February and another in July, each comprising general and business sessions. The February VGM featured updates on supply and demand, with members sharing insights on major projects or strategic priorities for the year. The July VGM provided an overview of COMET activities, membership developments, and future expert workshops.

Case Study Webinars

These webinars showcase key findings from ongoing studies. This year, the TSC has hosted the study webinars on Real-Time Monitoring of Track Equipment (February), Reducing Impact of Major Projects (April), Air Quality (May), Reducing Passenger Safety Incidents (July), Intelligent Video Analytics for Safety Management (July), and Decarbonisation (August).

Example slide from Reducing Impact of Major Projects Webinar

Data-Oriented Webinars

Three data-related webinars were held this year, covering the Virtual Data Clinic (March), Customer Satisfaction Survey Results (September), and Data Insights Webinar (September).

Research: Non-Fare Revenue

Non-fare revenue has become even more important due to the steep decline in metro ridership and fare revenue related to the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn. Given the uncertain financial situation, COMET members have shown growing interest in topics related to funding and revenue.

The study explores the changes in non-fare revenue generation amongst COMET metros, in a post-pandemic world of financial uncertainties. It covers contextual information including organisational structures for non-fare revenue generation, along with details including targets, long-term plans, and strategic approaches. It delves into the categories of non-fare revenue in the COMET KPI ecosystem including advertising, retail, telecommunications, and other sources. Good practices and lessons learned by COMET members are highlighted for each of these categories.

Example of non-fare revenue: Berlin BVG U-Bahn Subway Tour

Research: Real-Time Monitoring of Track Equipment

Real-time track monitoring is a technology that offers continuous monitoring and quick detection of defects, enabling better preventative maintenance, and allowing for more effective trend analysis of precursors, incidents, and high-risk areas.

The study explores how COMET members utilise real-time monitoring technologies for track equipment. It sheds light on the monitoring of four components of track equipment: tracks, rails, power systems, and switches and crossings machines.

The research highlights the technologies in use for monitoring these assets and examines the challenges faced and the best practices to enhance monitoring accuracy.

Research: Reducing Impact of Major Projects

Delivering major projects while maintaining reliable metro service is a critical challenge for metro operators. These projects often demand extensive resources and long-term planning, which can strain organisational capacity and divert attention from day-to-day operations. As a result, metros must carefully manage the impacts of major project works on service reliability, financial sustainability, and the overall customer experience.

The study explores how metros can plan and deliver major infrastructure projects while minimising disruption to operations, staff, and budgets. It draws on lessons from both past and planned major projects across COMET metros. It examines how metros plan and coordinate major projects and maintain service continuity during delivery. It also explores how metros assess and communicate the impacts of major works on performance and customer satisfaction.

Example of communication for major projects: Atlanta MARTA Airport Station closure outreach

Research: Employee Satisfaction

Keeping metro staff satisfied is essential to the successful operation of metro systems. Metros face the unique challenge of managing a diverse range of job roles, both operational and office-based, which shapes staff expectations and the types of employee satisfaction initiatives that are possible.

The research provides an overview of employee satisfaction initiatives that were successfully conducted by metros, exploring approaches for improving collaboration and communication within metro organisations. It also provides an update on the status of flexible working options that are offered by metros as well as good practices to engage newer and younger employees.

Examples of employee satisfaction initiatives

Research: Performance of New Fleets

Rolling stock performance typically follows a ‘bathtub curve’ throughout a vehicle’s ~40-year lifecycle. This is characterised by higher rates of failures in the early stages due to design or assembly defects or staff unfamiliar with the equipment, which falls to a lower, relatively stable rate of failures during the normal operating period. We would then expect failure rates to increase again towards mid-life or end of life.

The study analyses rolling stock failure rates of individual vehicles within a metro fleet relative to their time in service, allowing members to compare the bathtub curve for new fleet failures across metros and within fleets.

Factors impacting failure rates of new fleets

Community of Metros News: COMET 2025 Eastern Meeting in Hong Kong, 1-4 June

The TSC is excited to share the successful meeting hosted by Hong Kong MTR last week. We had attendance from 12 eastern metros, including new member Chengdu Rail Transit who introduced their excellent system to the COMET members.

The meeting covered topics of improving safety, automated operations, fleet introduction, financial sustainability, and environmental development. There were also several fantastic technical visits, covering control rooms, stations, customer service and crowding initiatives, MTR’s Data Studio, smart maintenance, and TOD.

The delegates visited the MTR “Station Rail Voyage” exhibition, held in celebration of the Hong Kong MTR’s 45th anniversary. The exhibition showcases a diverse collection of historical artifact including retired trains and vintage staff uniform accessories.

Community of Metros News: COMET 2025 Western Meeting in Montréal, 13-16 May

Earlier this month, metro operators from across Europe, Latin America, and North America came together in Montréal for the COMET 2025 Western Meeting. There were 27 attendees from 16 organisations gathered to exchange knowledge and good practices.

During the meeting, participants shared insights and explored key challenges and innovations shaping the future of urban transit, including fiscal resilience, safety and security strategies, service performance drivers, renewal projects, and the evolving impact of automation.

A highlight of the meeting was the behind-the-scenes tour of the Montréal STM network, offering a close-up look at station operations and maintenance facilities.

Community of Metros News: Export Workshop on Metro Automation in Madrid, 24-27 March

The TSC extends its sincere appreciation to Metro de Madrid for hosting an outstanding expert workshop last week. For three days, 21 COMET members and 3 ISBeRG members gathered to discuss conversion to metro automation, with topics ranging from platform doors to systems integration and interface management.

Metro de Madrid also arranged technical visits to their OCC, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and Station, and COMMIT (the Centre of Operations for Maintenance and Monitoring of Installations and Telecommunications).

Community of Metros News: Chengdu and Chongqing Rail Transit Joined COMET

The TSC is delighted to announce that Chengdu Metro and Chongqing Rail Transit, both based in China, officially joined the COMET community in March.

Chengdu Metro began operations in 2010 and has grown impressively to over 600 kilometres in just 15 years, making it the 4th largest metro in the world by total network length, following Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing. The system is known for its modern design, with clear digital signage and passenger information systems. It serves an average of 3.5 million passengers daily.

Chongqing Rail Transit operates 12 lines covering more than 550 kilometres. The network includes two high-capacity monorail lines—Lines 2 and 3—which are the longest and busiest monorail lines globally. Their system also features the world’s deepest metro station, located 116 metres underground, showcasing the city’s unique topography and engineering innovation.

We warmly welcome Chengdu and Chongqing to the group and look forward to their contributions to our global metro benchmarking and knowledge-sharing community.

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