Two volumes · 1,127 pages · April 2026

The first US-focused
technical reference on
Communications-Based
Train Control.

Twenty years of CBTC engineering experience, US deployment practice, and international benchmarking — organized as a two-volume reference for engineers, project managers, and transit agencies.

Buy on Amazon → Sample chapter
Published April 2026
Format Paperback · Kindle
Author Chunjun (Francisco) Wang
◉ Rail Signaling · Technical ReferenceEd. 2026
Volume 01 — of Two
Communications-
Based Train
Control
A Comprehensive Guide for US Transit Professionals
Foundations & Technical Architecture
Author
Chunjun (Francisco) Wang
533 pp · 108,000 words
7 × 10 in
About this VolumeVOL 01 / 02

The technical foundation of CBTC — the wireless signaling architecture that has replaced fixed-block circuits across modern metro systems. From the hundred-year evolution of train control to onboard ATP/ATO, wayside zone controllers, the data-communication radio network, and the central ATS that supervises it all — closing with the GoA 0–4 framework that classifies every level of automation built on top.

Chunjun (Francisco) Wang · CBTC Engineer
Booth MBA · CFA
Published via Amazon KDP
Vol. 01 — Foundations
◉ Rail Signaling · Technical ReferenceEd. 2026
Volume 02 — of Two
Communications-
Based Train
Control
A Comprehensive Guide for US Transit Professionals
Operations, Deployment & Economics
Author
Chunjun (Francisco) Wang
594 pp · 112,000 words
7 × 10 in
About this VolumeVOL 02 / 02

From architecture to practice. Operating modes, hard-won lessons of US deployments — New York MTA, San Francisco BART — benchmarked against London, Paris, and Asia. Project lifecycle, performance criteria, lifecycle cost analysis, and a clear-eyed map of the vendor landscape.

Chunjun (Francisco) Wang · CBTC Engineer
Booth MBA · CFA
Published via Amazon KDP
Vol. 02 — Operations
Why this book

Most CBTC references were written for European or Asian markets. These two volumes address the US context directly.

CBTC has replaced fixed-block circuits across modern transit, but the English-language literature still reflects European and Asian deployment experience. US engineers routinely translate IEEE 1474 against IEC 62290, interpret vendor white papers, and assemble BART or NYCT case material from fragmented public sources.

These two volumes consolidate that work — comprehensively, with the US regulatory framework and procurement practice as the organizing logic. Volume 1 covers the architecture. Volume 2 covers the deployment.

20+
Years in rail signaling & CBTC
7
CBTC patents granted
13
Peer-reviewed papers
$80M
US subsidiary annual revenue
$200M
Renewable-energy projects directed
1,127
Pages, across two volumes
The two volumes

Read sequentially or pick the volume your project needs today.

◉ Rail Signaling · Technical ReferenceEd. 2026
Volume 01 — of Two
Communications-
Based Train
Control
A Comprehensive Guide for US Transit Professionals
Foundations & Technical Architecture
Author
Chunjun (Francisco) Wang
533 pp · 108,000 words
7 × 10 in
About this VolumeVOL 01 / 02

The technical foundation of CBTC — the wireless signaling architecture that has replaced fixed-block circuits across modern metro systems. From the hundred-year evolution of train control to onboard ATP/ATO, wayside zone controllers, the data-communication radio network, and the central ATS that supervises it all — closing with the GoA 0–4 framework that classifies every level of automation built on top.

Chunjun (Francisco) Wang · CBTC Engineer
Booth MBA · CFA
Published via Amazon KDP
VOL · 01 533 pp · 108,000 words

Foundations & Technical Architecture

The technical foundation of CBTC — the wireless signaling architecture that has replaced fixed-block circuits across modern metro systems. From the hundred-year evolution of train control to onboard ATP/ATO, wayside zone controllers, the data-communication radio network, and the central ATS that supervises it all — closing with the GoA 0–4 framework that classifies every level of automation built on top.

  • 01The Evolution of Train Control
  • 02Standards & Regulations: US Framework
  • 03CBTC System Architecture Overview
  • 04Onboard Equipment
  • 05Wayside Equipment
  • + 3 more chapters →
Paperback · $54.95 Kindle · $24.95 Full table of contents →
◉ Rail Signaling · Technical ReferenceEd. 2026
Volume 02 — of Two
Communications-
Based Train
Control
A Comprehensive Guide for US Transit Professionals
Operations, Deployment & Economics
Author
Chunjun (Francisco) Wang
594 pp · 112,000 words
7 × 10 in
About this VolumeVOL 02 / 02

From architecture to practice. Operating modes, hard-won lessons of US deployments — New York MTA, San Francisco BART — benchmarked against London, Paris, and Asia. Project lifecycle, performance criteria, lifecycle cost analysis, and a clear-eyed map of the vendor landscape.

Chunjun (Francisco) Wang · CBTC Engineer
Booth MBA · CFA
Published via Amazon KDP
VOL · 02 594 pp · 112,000 words

Operations, Deployment & Economics

From architecture to practice. Operating modes, hard-won lessons of US deployments — New York MTA, San Francisco BART — benchmarked against London, Paris, and Asia. Project lifecycle, performance criteria, lifecycle cost analysis, and a clear-eyed map of the vendor landscape.

  • 09Operating Modes
  • 10CBTC in the United States
  • 11International Benchmarks
  • 12Project Lifecycle
  • 13Performance Criteria
  • + 3 more chapters →
Paperback · $54.95 Kindle · $24.95 Full table of contents →
Inside the books

Every system, schematic, and standards relationship — drawn for engineers.

More than 120 original technical figures across the two volumes. A few representative ones:

Fixed-block vs moving-block principle
Fig 1.5Fixed-Block vs. Moving-Block Principle
 ATC = ATP + ATO + ATS
Fig 1.7ATC = ATP + ATO + ATS
 Standards framework for CBTC in the US
Fig 2.1Standards Framework — US Context
 CBTC radio communication architecture
Fig 6.1CBTC Radio Communication Architecture
 VOBC functional architecture
Fig 4.1VOBC Functional Architecture
 Dispatcher workstation 4-monitor layout
Fig 7.6Dispatcher Workstation — 4-Monitor Layout
See all 120+ figures →
Who it's for

Transit engineers

Signaling design, integration, and commissioning teams at MTA, BART, WMATA, CTA, MBTA, SEPTA, and peer agencies.

Project managers & owners

Reviewing CBTC procurements, FTA grant submissions, and vendor proposals against IEEE 1474 and FRA requirements.

Vendor & integrator teams

Engineering and proposal teams at Siemens, Thales, Alstom, Hitachi-Rail and others working in the US market.

Educators & students

Graduate programs in transportation engineering seeking a US-context CBTC reference with current regulatory and vendor coverage.

Chunjun (Francisco) Wang
About the author

Chunjun (Francisco) Wang

Booth MBA · CFA · CBTC Rail-Tech Expert · Princeton, NJ

Two decades in rail signaling, spanning US and Chinese practice. Seven CBTC patents, thirteen peer-reviewed papers, and operating responsibility for a major rail-signaling group's US subsidiary.

I've spent twenty years inside Communications-Based Train Control — first as a signaling engineer, then leading the US subsidiary of an international rail-signaling group, and now as a researcher applying AI to rail and energy infrastructure. This book is the reference I wish I had on day one.

Full background →