Light rail news – Page 13
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Metro Report InternationalBielefeld buys narrow gauge rail grinder
GERMANY: Windhoff has delivered the first narrow gauge version of its VentuS NV rail grinder to Bielefeld tram operator moBiel. The VentuS SF 50 has been designed for the grinding and cleaning of various types of rail head across the 1 000 mm gauge network. It ...
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Metro Report InternationalLogIKTram freight tram demonstrates urban distribution alternative
GERMANY: Small volumes of freight can be handled on urban rail networks using freight trams or similar vehicles, a research project conducted in Karlsruhe has concluded.
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Metro Report InternationalKøbenhavn tram test running begins
DENMARK: København’s Hovedstadens Letbane has carried out the first test run between the light rail line’s depot at Rødovre Nord and Glostrup, 6 km to the south. The daytime test on August 14 was the first time one of the fleet of 29 Avenio LRVs built ...
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Metro Report InternationalBerlin calls tramway extension planning tender
GERMANY: Berlin transport operator BVG has called tenders for the provision of planning services to support the development of a proposed extension of tram Route M17 from Johannisthal to Gropiusstadt in the southeast of the capital. Preliminary feasibility and economic viability studies were completed in 2023, ...
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Metro Report InternationalChildren with Down’s syndrome act as tram conductors
NETHERLANDS: Staff on Amsterdam tram Route 26 gave children with Down’s syndrome the chance to be conductors for a day, opening and closing the doors and announcing the stops.
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Metro Report InternationalConstruction starts on Istanbul’s next tram line
TURKEY: Construction has started on a 3·2 km section of tramway in central Istanbul, linking Feshane on tram Line T5 with Bayrampaşa Meydan. Known as the Eyüpsultan – Bayrampaşa Tramway, the route will form a tangential link between the existing T5 light ...
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Metro Report InternationalTram Route 13 is lucky for Helsinki
FINLAND: Tangential tram Route 13 serving northeast Helsinki opened on August 12. Developed at cost of €79·3m, it includes 4·5 km of new 1 000 mm gauge infrastructure in its route from the northern terminus at Maistraatintori (Pasila) to Nihti in the port area east of ...
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Metro Report InternationalHyundai Rotem to supply 34 hydrogen trams to Daejeon
SOUTH KOREA: Daejeon municipality signed a 293·4bn won contract with Hyundai Rotem on July 25 for the supply of 34 hydrogen vehicles to run on Daejeon’s planned first light rail route, Line 2. The trams are scheduled to be delivered from the first half of 2026 ...
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Metro Report InternationalBrescia tram plan gathers pace
ITALY: As part of plans to build two light rail lines to augment the city’s automated metro, Brescia municipality has called tenders for the design and construction of tram Line T2, including the supply of rolling stock. The city has also commissioned operator Brescia Mobilità to ...
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Metro Report InternationalCalgary light rail project cut back because of rising costs
CANADA: Calgary City Council has scaled back plans for the first phase of its Green Line light rail project, blaming ‘the cost inflation that is impacting all major infrastructure projects across North America’. The change follows work to reduce costs through value engineering, design optimisation and ...
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Metro Report InternationalBattery trams to avoid overhead wires in historic Firenze
ITALY: Hitachi Rail has been awarded a contract to supply 46 trams equipped with batteries to avoid the need for overhead wires in the historic city of Firenze. The order announced on July 30 includes the supply of digital signalling, and operator GEST has also awarded ...
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Metro Report InternationalRoubaix-Tourcoing tramway project planning advances
FRANCE: Métropole Européenne de Lille has awarded the Tramelis consortium a 10-year contract to provide project management services for the development of the planned 22 km Roubaix-Tourcoing tramway. The Y-shaped network to the northeast of Lille would run from the Neuville area ...
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Metro Report InternationalRegional-Stadtbahn Neckar-Alb tram-train design unveiled
GERMANY: Project promoter Zweckverband Regional-Stadtbahn Neckar-Alb has unveiled the appearance of the Stadler Citylink tram-train vehicles ordered for the future regional light rail network.
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless tram operation demonstrated in depot
FINLAND: The driverless movement of a tram around the Tampere tramway’s depot has been demonstrated, with Škoda Group saying its ’marks a significant step towards full autonomy’. The Škoda ForCity Smart Artic X34 tram was set tasks remotely. It then moved around the depot ...
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Rail Business UKStudy aims to reduce tram-train cost and complexity
UK: The Institute of Railway Research at the University of Huddersfield is leading a study which brings together industry and academia to promote the benefits of the tram-train concept and address a lack of standardisation. The project aims to address ‘not only the engineering challenges associated ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst light rail vehicle delivered to Maryland’s Purple Line
USA: The first of 28 five-section light rail vehicles for the Purple Line in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC has been delivered from CAF’s factory at Elmira in New York state. Maryland Transit Administration said it is the longest LRV of its kind in the ...
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Metro Report InternationalDriverless tram scheduled to carry first passengers in September
RUSSIA: Moskva’s first driverless tram is to begin carrying passengers in September, the city’s Department of Transport has announced. On July 15 operator Moskva Metro reported that the tram was currently on test without passengers on Route 10, adding that it had already covered 400 km ...
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Metro Report InternationalPre-series Ruhrbahn high-floor light rail vehicle deliveries begin
GERMANY: Essen and Mülheim an der Ruhr transport operator Ruhrbahn has taken delivery of the first of 51 Type HF1 high-floor light vehicles ordered from CAF. The LRVs are being supplied from the Spanish manufacturer’s Zaragoza factory under a €150m contract signed in June 2021. This ...
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Metro Report InternationalBozankaya wins Beograd tram tender
SERBIA: On July 11 Beograd city transport operator GSP named Turkish supplier Bozankaya as the winner of a 7·8bn dinar contract to supply 25 trams. The first is to be delivered in 12 months, and the rest within the following 13 months. GSP has specified five-section, ...
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Rail Business UKRail and tram-train in Manchester’s Bee Network expansion plans
UK: Local rail services around Manchester are to be brought into the region’s expanding Bee Network by 2028 as part of a public transport development strategy unveiled by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on July 10.