Metro news – Page 200
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NewsPortland light rail extension starts final design
USA: The Federal Transit Administration has approved the start of final design for the $1·5bn MAX light rail extension to the Portland suburb of Milwaukie. The 11·7 km project, dubbed the Orange Line, is already at the 30% design stage. TriMet had previously received FTA permission to start building the ...
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NewsBursa light rail receives international funding
TURKEY: The European Bank for Reconstruction & Development has approved a 15-year loan worth €50m towards construction of the second phase of the light rail network in Bursa. The loan is part of a financing package which also includes €100m from the European Investment Bank. The BursaRay light rail network ...
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NewsRhein-Neckar Verkehr orders more supercapacitor trams
GERMANY: Rhein-Neckar regional transport operator RNV has ordered a further 11 low-floor Variobahn trams for €33m, Bombardier Transportation announced on April 4. They will be fitted with Bombardier's Mitrac Energy Saver technology, which uses roof-mounted double-layer supercapacitors to store electricity regenerated during braking for reuse when accelerating. Trials in ...
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NewsAdelaide orders A-City EMUs
AUSTRALIA: The Government of South Australia has placed an A$269m order for 22 three-car suburban EMUs from Bombardier Transportation, the manufacturer announced on March 31. The trains are required to operate suburban services around Adelaide on four lines that are to be electrified at 25 kV 50 Hz AC by ...
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NewsDriverless metro line opened in Busan
SOUTH KOREA: Busan Transportation Corp inaugurated its driverless light metro Line 4 on March 30, following 11 days of trial running between March 15 and March 25. The 12·7 km route runs east from Minam on metro Line 3 to Anpyeong and provides an interchange to metro Line 1 ...
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NewsADB loan supports Hanoi metro Line 3
VIETNAM: The Asian Development Bank has agreed to provide US$293m in funding to support construction of Line 3 of Hanoi’s urban rail master plan. The decision adds to loans already in place from EIB and Agence Française de Développement. The 12·5 km first phase of the heavy metro line will ...
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NewsCrossrail issues rolling stock shortlist
UK: Crossrail Ltd announced on March 30 that it had shortlisted Alstom, Bombardier, CAF, Hitachi and Siemens for the contract to supply rolling stock and depot facilities for the new east-west route across London. ‘Work continues to finalise our detailed requirements for the new trains and we expect that shortlisted ...
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NewsMilano metro continues to expand
ITALY: A 3·7 km extension of Milano metro Line 3 from Maciachini north to Comasina entered service on March 26, adding four new stations to the Yellow Line. Interchange with LeNord local rail services is provided at Affori Nord. The next metro line to enter service in Milano will be ...
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NewsNew York MTA dedicates East Side Access TBMs
USA: Following a dedication ceremony in New York on March 21, two tunnel boring machines should soon begin digging the final set of tunnels for the East Side Access project. These will connect the Long Island Rail Road with Grand Central Terminal. The 642-tonne TBMs, named Tess and Molina by ...
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NewsExpo Line Phase II gets go ahead
USA: Clearance testing along the initial section of the Expo Line in Los Angeles began on March 22 using a jig mounted on rail wheels. Within the next few weeks, a light rail vehicle will be towed along the tracks, followed by trains running under their own power. The first ...
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NewsFuente de la Mora joins Madrid suburban network
SPAIN: Development Minister José Blanco joined Esperanza Aguirre, President of the Madrid regional government, to open a station at Fuente de la Mora on March 24. Now forming northwestern the terminus for routes C7 and C10 of RENFE’s Madrid suburban network, the new station has been built as part of ...
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NewsAnsaldo scoops Honolulu metro contract
USA: The award of two major contracts totalling $946m covering construction and fitting out of the elevated metro line in Honolulu was announced by the city’s mayor Peter Carlisle on March 21. The Ansaldo Honolulu Joint Venture, bringing together Finnmeccanica companies Ansaldo STS and AnsaldoBreda, has been selected as core ...
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NewsManchester Metrolink starts Phase 3b
UK: Construction work has started on a 3·9 km extension of the Manchester Metrolink light rail network from Droylsden to Ashton-under-Lyne, following a groundreaking ceremony held on March 8. This is the first of the projects included in Phase 3b of the network expansion programme to get underway. The work ...
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NewsMadrid metro Line 2 extended to Las Rosas
SPAIN: Esperanza Aguirre, President of the Madrid regional government, inaugurated an eastern extension of metro Line 2 from La Elipa to Las Rosas on March 16. The 4·6 km extension, with three intermediate stations at La Almudena, Alsacia and Avenida de Guadalajara, cost €315m and took 28 months to build. ...
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NewsPreliminary engineering approvals for LA urban rail projects
USA: A $21·5m planning and engineering services contract for the Regional Connector light rail project in Los Angeles has been awarded to a joint venture led by AECOM. The scope of work encompasses advanced conceptual design and preliminary engineering, including the completion of environmental impact reports. The Regional Connector is ...
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NewsGlasgow Subway upgrade approved
UK: Driverless operation, new rolling stock and infrastructure upgrading are set to go ahead on the 1 220 mm gauge Glasgow Subway under a £290m renewal programme announced by Strathclyde Partnership for Transport. Scotland’s Finance Secretary John Swinney confirmed on March 9 that following ‘careful consideration’ of ...
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NewsTaichung awards turnkey metro contract
TAIWAN: A 16·7 km automated metro is to be built in Taichung under a turnkey contract valued at ¥29·5bn, which was confirmed by the Taichung city government on March 9. Under consideration since 1990 and approved in 2004, the Green Line is the first of three routes for the proposed ...
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NewsBangkok to complete Blue Line loop
THAILAND: Mass Rapid Transit Authority has awarded a further package of civil works valued at 46·6bn baht covering construction of extensions to the Bangkok Blue Line heavy metro (table below). These works would see the completion of a loop connecting the existing termini at Bang Sue and Hua Lamphong via ...
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NewsRFF backs Line E extension
FRANCE: Meeting on March 17, the board of Réseau Ferré de France confirmed its intention to press ahead with its plans for a western extension of Paris RER Line E, with a view to seeking a Declaration of Public Utility giving powers to build the line. Following public consultation between ...
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NewsSiemens to energise Kolkata's east-west line
INDIA: Third rail electrification and power supplies for Kolkata’s east-west metro line are to be supplied by Siemens Mobility under a contract from Kolkata Metro Rail Corp announced on March 17. Siemens is to provide the 750 V DC traction power supply, with nine substations and the depot to be ...