Infrastructure news
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Metro Report InternationalRegiotram de Occidente groundbreaking ‘is symbol of a country moving on rails again’
COLOMBIA: The government has transferred the Bogotá – Facatativá railway right of way to the Cundinamarca province, enabling track renewals for the Regiotram de Occidente project.
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Metro Report InternationalTfGM seeks supplier feedback on light rail asset renewal plan
UK: Transport for Greater Manchester has begun the procurement process for a multi-year light rail asset renewals contract worth up to £1·6bn.
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Metro Report InternationalArapiraca suburban rail project breaks ground
BRAZIL: A groundbreaking ceremony has been held for a 13 km suburban rail line in Arapiraca, the second-largest city in the fast-growing state of Alagoas.
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Metro Report International‘Unique challenge’ in Singapore metro airport extension contract
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority has awarded an Alstom-led consortium a contract to supply CBTC signalling, communication systems and platform screen doors for the Thomson-East Coast Line extension project.
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Metro Report InternationalBergen tramway orders customised rail grinding and winter service vehicle
NORWAY: Windhoff is to supply a specially-designed VentuS-LR SF50 rail grinding and winter service vehicle for the Bergen tram network.
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Metro Report InternationalSão Paulo suburban lines to be equipped with ETCS
BRAZIL: Operating concessionaire ViaMobilidade has awarded Alstom a contract to deploy ETCS Level 2 on São Paulo lines 8 (Diamante) and 9 (Esmeralda). The R$1bn signalling modernisation project is to be completed within six years.
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Metro Report InternationalElectric transport operators agree to help balance power grid use
NETHERLANDS: Public transport operators have signed an agreement to help balance demand on the heavily-loaded national power grid.
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Metro Report InternationalHigh speed rail grinding on the Stockholm metro
SWEDEN: Stockholm metro maintenance contractor Strukton Rail has awarded Vossloh a subcontract to use a High Speed Grinding machine to remove corrugations, slip waves and other signs of rail wear.
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Metro Report InternationalPilot project looks at low-altitude drones for railway inspection
CHINA: The use of low-altitude drones to enhance the efficiency of railway maintenance is to be explored by Traffic Control Technology and MTR Corp. The project will look at the use of drones to inspect stations, tracks and buildings, supported by artificial intelligence and other technologies ...
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Metro Report InternationalIsrael: NofIt project learns from Karlsruhe
Work is under way on the NofIt interurban light rail line linking Haifa and Nazareth, which will run through complex terrain with gradients of up to 8%. Dan Shenbach, CEO of project promoter TransIsrael, discusses the state of progress with Benjámin Zelki.
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Metro Report InternationalMexico: Guided buses challenge urban rail projects
While Mexico is enjoying a renaissance in rail investment at a national level, urban rail projects in several cities are coming under threat from cheaper bus options and Chinese-backed ART technology. Michael Dreyer reports.
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Metro Report InternationalBrazil: Urban rail projects battle local politics
Examples in Cuiabá and Canoas show how vulnerable Brazilian urban rail projects are to changes in local politics, as well as the temptation of alternative modes which are seen as less complex, even if the benefits are lower. Marcelo Benoit examines the two cases.
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Metro Report InternationalBrazil: Salvador turns to the tram
Having dismantled a suburban railway and aborted a monorail scheme, the Brazilian city of Salvador is now developing a tram network using second-hand trams and track assets from Cuiabá. Ana Cláudia Nascimento, CEO of state transport operator CTB, explains the plans to Benjámin Zelki.
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Metro Report InternationalVoters reject Salzburg S-Link rail project
AUSTRIA: Voters in the Salzburg area have rejected a proposal to build a 15 km partly underground light rail line, which will not now go ahead. The S-Link would have run from Salzburg’s main station to the city centre, and then on to the suburb of ...
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Metro Report InternationalDART begins construction of Silver Line depot
USA: Dallas Area Rapid Transit held a groundbreaking ceremony for the rolling stock maintenance depot for its future Silver Line commuter route on October 24. The facility near the line’s Shiloh Road station in Plano will feature two buildings for the line’s Stadler diesel multiple-units to ...
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Metro Report InternationalCustom machine to renew Paris metro tracks
FRANCE: Scheuzer is to design a build a custom battery-electric track renewals train for use by contractor TSO on the Paris metro network’s steel wheel and rubber-tyred lines from 2027. The contract signed at InnoTrans will support operator RATP’s plans to make use of technology to ...
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Metro Report InternationalParis: Learning lessons from Line 14
Paris metro operator RATP believes it can use the experience it has gained in managing the migration of train control equipment used on Line 14 from one GoA4 platform to another to help upgrade other automated metros. Jérémie Anne reports.
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Metro Report InternationalMobile inspection lab for urban railways launched at InnoTrans
INNOTRANS: Plasser & Theurer has unveiled its InfraSpector Truck road-rail mobile testing lab, which is designed to meet all the infrastructure inspection and measuring requirements of metro, tramway and local railway operators. It has an operating speed of 60 km/h, can operate in tunnels and is able ...
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Metro Report InternationalPrivate sector funding sought for next phase of Seoul Great Train Express
SOUTH KOREA: Minister of Land, Infrastructure & Transport Park Sang-woo has engaged with businesses to explore options to use private financing as well as government funding for the second phase of the Great Train Express programme in the Seoul region. The second phase would support the ...
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Metro Report InternationalControl centre opening marks latest stage in Paris RER modernisation
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP and national railway SNCF have transferred the management of RER Line A to a new control centre.