ADT secures transit contract

WASHINGTON - Through a federal grant designed to beef up security following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, ADT Security Services has been awarded an $8.2 million contract to provide the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority with an integrated fire, access control and intrusion system for the Metrorail underground stations. ADT will be designing, building and installing systems in a majority of the WMATA’s underground stations using the ADT 3000 panel, which the company introduced about18 months ago, said Barry Einsig, national account manager for ADT. The project will represent a “total upgrade and enhancement” of the Metrorail’s fire and security system and is funded through a $39.1 million federal grant. Federal dollars earmarked for security upgrades are some of the projects ADT is most actively courting, Einsig said. “Typically ADT is really big in the market, and has been in this market for a number of years,” he said. Because of security concerns, ADT would not name how many panels would be installed or how long the project would take to complete, he said. As of press time, work had already begun on the project, which will encompass a majority of the WMATA’s underground stations. Combined with Metrobus, the WMATA has 83 stations and 103 miles of track and serves greater Washington, D.C. Using ADT’s point addressable system, WMATA officials will be able to pinpoint where a specific incident occurred, allowing the transit police to act faster and with greater efficiency, said David Couch, director of Infrastructure Renewal for the WMATA. The system does that by identifying all the fire alarm devices and intrusion devices and by using a conventional access control database. The system also employs a number of different access control technologies, the specifics of which Einsig said he could not name. Although ADT will outfit most of the WMATA’s stations, the remainder of the contract is still unassigned. The project opened for bid a year ago.