Metro news – Page 214
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NewsWarszawa airport rail link train order signed
POLAND: The city of Warszawa's suburban rail operator SKM signed a 299m zloty contract with Pesa Bydgoszcz for 13 high-capacity 27WE Elf electric multiple-units on March 16. The units will be delivered from mid-2011 for use on services to Fryderyk Chopin Airport, which is to be linked to the ...
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NewsOlsztyn to develop tram network
POLAND: Olsztyn city council has decided to build a modern tram network, which will be the first new network to be opened in Poland since trams were introduced in Czestochowa in 1959. Heart of the project is a 7·3 km double-track route running from the main PKP station at Dworzec ...
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NewsTiger grants to boost urban rail
USA: Several urban rail investment projects will benefit from federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act as part of the TIGER grants package announced by Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood. In total, 51 projects have been selected for the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery programme which is ...
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NewsDebrecen tram contracts
HUNGARY: On March 11 Mayor of Debrecen Lajos Kósa signed a 7·5bn forint contract with the ATK-Debrecen consortium for construction of the city’s second tram line, between Debrecen Plaza and Doberdo Street. The work is expected to take two years to complete. When the project was approved in April ...
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NewsCapital Metro opens at last
USA: Capital Metro’s Red Line commuter rail route between Austin and Leander opened for revenue service on March 22, two years later than originally anticipated. There was no formal inaugural ceremony or ribbon cutting at any of the nine stations. Running northwest from the Texas state capital, the line is ...
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NewsSão Paulo metro still expanding
BRAZIL: The Inter-American Development Bank announced a US$481m loan to the state of São Paulo for improvements to metro Line 5 on March 10. The loan has a 25-year term, with a four and a half years grace period and a LIBOR-based interest rate.The IDB funds will be used to ...
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NewsLondon Underground PPP funding gap
UK: London Underground is considering its options, including 'legal remedies', after PPP Arbiter Chris Bolt directed on March 10 that work to maintain and upgrade the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines in the seven and half years of Review Period 2 from July 1 2010 should cost £4·46bn. LU ...
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NewsMidland Metro extension and new trams to be funded
UK: On March 18 Transport Minister Chris Mole announced initial approval for a 1·4 km extension of the Midland Metro light rail line into Birmingham city centre, and the procurement of 20 higher-capacity trams to replace the 16 Ansaldo cars which have been used on the 20 km Birmingham - ...
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NewsKolkata East-West metro civils contract awarded
INDIA: Kolkata Metro Rail Corp has awarded a Rs9·1bn contract for civil works on the Subhas Sarobar - Central underground section of the East-West metro line to ITD Cementation, a local subsidiary of Italian-Thai Development Public Co Ltd. The running tunnels will be constructed using tunnel boring machines and the ...
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NewsShanghai metro reaches Hongqiao Airport
CHINA: March 16 marked the simultaneous opening of the new Terminal 2 at Hongqiao International Airport and an 8 km extension of Shanghai metro Line 2 to serve the new hub. The extension runs from the former western terminus at Songhong Road to East Xujing via Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2. ...
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NewsFirst contracts awarded for Shatin - Central Link
CHINA: Hong Kong’s MTR Corp has awarded two contracts to Halcrow and Aecom for design work on phase one of its 17 km Shatin - Central Link project. The first phase of SCL involves an 11 km extension of the Ma On Shan Line from Tai Wai station via Diamond ...
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NewsHamburg unveils first DT5 trainset
GERMANY: Hamburger Hochbahn unveiled its first DT5 metro train in Salzgitter on March 4. It will now undergo 12 months of testing and commissioning before making its first appearance in Hamburg in March 2011. Hamburg’s public transport operator ordered 67 trains costing €240m from a consortium of Alstom and Bombardier ...
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NewsWork in progress on Lima metro
PERU: Construction of a 12·3 km extension of Lima metro Line 1 started in the Santiago de Surco district on March 2. The event was marked by a ceremony attended by the mayors of Villa María del Triunfo, Suco, La Victoria and Surquillo. The Tren Eléctrico Lima consortium, comprising ...
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NewsCapital Metro finally achieves FRA approval
USA: Capital Metro’s nine-station commuter Red Line will begin revenue service between downtown Austin and Leander on March 22. Federal Railroad Administration inspectors gave their approval for commercial operation on March 5, following final testing on the 52 km route during February and early March.The line was within days of ...
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NewsAshton and Didsbury Metrolink extensions funded
UK: Transport Minister Sadiq Khan announced the government's final approval of £121m of funding for two Phase 3b extensions to the Manchester Metrolink light rail network on March 8. Local sources will provide the remaining £49m of the antitipated £170m cost. According to Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive, the work ...
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NewsRoma Line C cars start tests at Velim
ITALY: The first driverless trainset for Roma Metro Line C has arrived at the Velim test track in the Czech Republic for commissioning trials ahead of the opening of the first section of the line next year. AnsaldoBreda is supplying 30 six-car trainsets to the Metro C consortium which ...
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NewsDocklands Light Railway rolls out three-car trains
UK: London's Docklands Light Railway ran its first public three-car trains between Bank and Lewisham on February 23. The extended trains will increase capacity on the operator’s busiest route by 50% and will be rolled out across the DLR network as demand increases.The 30-month £325m project involved extending platforms to ...
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Metro Report InternationalFirst tram test run in Jerusalem
ISRAEL: A Citadis light rail vehicle made the first test run in Jerusalem on February 24, along a newly-energised 3 km section of track between the depot near French Hill and Ammunition Hill junction. The event was watched by senior officials from the municipality and light rail concessionaire CityPass, along ...
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NewsFirenze tram Line 1 open
ITALY: Line 1 of the Firenze tram network opened for passenger service on February 14. Starting at the Santa Maria Novella FS station in central Firenze, the 7·4 km line has 14 stops and ends at Villa Costanza in the district of Scandicci. It is expected to ...
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NewsAmsterdam orders 23 metro trains
NETHERLANDS: Alstom Transport is to supply Amsterdam with 23 metro trainsets under a €200m contract announced on February 19. There are options for further trainsets for the future North-South Line. The Metropolis trainsets will be produced at Alstom's Valenciennes and Katowice plants for delivery from early 2012 and entry into ...