Urban transport stories from Asia
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Metro Report InternationalLocal elections prompt flurry of Istanbul metro openings
TURKEY: Four extensions to existing metro lines have been opened in Istanbul to coincide with the municipal elections which took place at the end of March. On March 11, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan inaugurated a seven-station southern extension of line M3 from Kirazlı to Bakırköy Sahil on ...
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Metro Report InternationalMalaysian government takes over Penang light rail project
MALAYSIA: Responsibility for the Mutiara Light Rail Transit project has been transferred from the state of Penang to the federal government, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke has announced. The project is to be developed and managed by government-owned MRT Corp. It is to be implemented through ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst section of Seoul’s GTX Line A opens
SOUTH KOREA: The initial 28 km section of the Great Train Express commuter rail network in the Seoul conurbation, linking Suseo with Dongtan has opened.
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Metro Report InternationalSeoul Metro to operate GTX-A when it opens on March 30
SOUTH KOREA: Seoul Metro has been selected as operator for Line A of the capital’s Great Train Express commuter rail network, ahead of the opening of the first section on March 30. When complete, the 82 km line with 11 stations will link Unjeong in the ...
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Metro Report InternationalModi inaugurates three sections of metro in Kolkata
INDIA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated one new metro line and two extensions in Kolkata on March 6, totalling 11·5 km. The initial 5·4 km, five-station southern section of Line 6 (Orange) has opened between Kavi Subhash and Hemanta Mukhopadhay; it was built at a cost ...
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Metro Report InternationalMetro to the Taj Mahal opens
INDIA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first section of the Agra metro by teleconference on March 6, with passenger services starting at 06.00 the following day. The cabinet approved plans for the two-line Agra metro network in 2019, and construction was formally launched in December ...
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Metro Report InternationalSustainable last-mile LEAP connectivity at Bengaluru metro stations
INDIA: The Low Emission Access to Public Transport programme has been launched to enhance last-mile connectivity at Namma Metro stations in Bengaluru and encourage women to become rickshaw drivers. LEAP is backed by Alstom, Bangalore Metro Rail Corp and charity WRI India. It is managed by ...
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Metro Report InternationalTaipei metro extension to Keelung approved
TAIWAN: The Ministry of Transportation & Communications has approved plans to extend the Blue Line metro eastwards by 15·6 km from Nangang Exhibition Centre in Taipei to Badu main line station in Keelung. The total project cost is NT$69·7bn, of which the central government would provide ...
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Metro Report InternationalTenders called to develop Ulaanbaatar metro plan
MONGOLIA: Mayor Khishgeegiin Nyambaatar has announced a US$1·3bn plan to develop a metro to improve connectivity in Ulaanbaatar. Nyambaatar was tasked with solving the problem of traffic jams and reducing air pollution when the government appointed him as Mayor last year. The city’s procurement department has ...
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Metro Report InternationalIstanbul’s Sirkeci – Kazlıçeşme ‘light rail’ line opens
TURKEY: A ‘light rail’ line on the alignment of the former railway to the historic Sirkeci station on the European side of Istanbul was opened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan February 26. The Halkalı – Sirkeci section of line closed in August 2013 as part of ...
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Metro Report InternationalIzmir metro extension opens
TURKEY: Passenger-carrying pre-operation started on the 6·5 km western extension of Izmir metro Line 1 from Fahrettin Altay to Sehitlik on February 24 with a ceremony attended by Izmir Mayor Tunç Soyer. Passengers can travel free of charge until April 15. A ...
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Metro Report InternationalDelhi’s Golden Line trains under construction
INDIA: Alstom’s Sri City factory has begun production of Metropolis trainsets for Delhi Metro Rail Corp’s Phase IV expansion programme. The €312m contract awarded in November 2022 covers 52 six-car trainsets. These are needed for extensions of lines 7 (Pink) and 8 (Magenta), and the future ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst Meerut Metro train handed over
INDIA: The first trainset for Meerut Metro services was handed over to National Capital Region Transport Corp at Alstom’s Savli plant on February 16. The Meerut Metro will provide local stopping services at 11 stations on the 25 km Partapur – Modipuram section of the 82 ...
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Metro Report InternationalBengaluru receives first automated metro trainset
INDIA: The first of 15 six-car driverless metro trainsets that CRRC Nanjing Puzhen is supplying in partnership with domestic producer Titagarh Rail Systems for Bengaluru’s under-construction Yellow Line metro arrived at Hebbagodi depot on February 14. The trainset had been shipped to the port of Chennai ...
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Metro Report InternationalChennai Metro tickets on sale through e-commerce system
INDIA: Chennai Metro Rail Ltd says it is the first Indian metro to enable its tickets to be sold using Open Network for Digital Commerce standards. ‘By partnering with ONDC, CMRL is now completely opening up access to its ticketing application service, allowing a wide range ...
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Metro Report InternationalDance inspires styling of Chennai driverless metro fleet
INDIA: Alstom’s Sricity plant has begun production of 36 Metropolis trainsets with local-inspired styling for Chennai metro Phase II. They are scheduled to enter service with operator Chennai Metro Rail Ltd by the end of 2025 on the 26 km Orange Line which will run from ...
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Metro Report InternationalTaichung metro Blue Line approved
TAIWAN: The Ministry of Transportation &Communications approved plans to build the Blue Line metro in Taichung on January 29. The city’s second metro line would run from Taichung Port in the west to Shalu and Xitun in central Taichung, along the busy Taiwan Avenue. It would ...
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Metro Report Internationalİzmir opens third tram line
TURKEY: A 12 km long tram extension opened in İzmir’s Çiğli district on January 27 with a ceremony attended by Mayor Tunç Soyer. Services run in both directions around the ring, meeting at the northern terminus at Katip Çelebi Üniversitesi. The Çiğli tramway serves 14 stops ...
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Metro Report InternationalHosur – Bommasandra metro study commissioned
INDIA: A feasibility study has been commissioned for a metro line connecting Hosur in Tamil Nadu with Bommasandra, southeast of Bengaluru in Karnataka. Bommasandra is the future terminus of Bengaluru’s Namma Metro Yellow Line, which is under construction with opening now expected this year. The proposed ...
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Metro Report InternationalTokyo Metro privatisation could begin this year
JAPAN: Tokyo Metropolitan Government is likely to begin selling off its shares in Tokyo Metro in the 2024 financial year, Governor Yuriko Koike said on January 26. The current Tokyo Metro company was founded on April 1 2004 as part of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s policy ...