Metro news – Page 221
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NewsEDSA struggles to cope
PHILIPPINES: Having bought out the promoters of Manila’s EDSA project, the government must decide what to do with the capital’s busiest light rail route, amid suggestions that it could be returned to the private sector. Built by Metro Rail Transit Corp, the 168 km MRT3 line along Epifano dos ...
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NewsMetro operating shortlist down to two
Local transport authority Nexus has postponed naming a preferred bidder for a seven-year Tyne & Wear Metro operating contract until early 2010. Two candidates, DB Regio Tyne & Wear and the in-house Nexus bid team, have been asked to ‘revise and confirm’ their detailed tenders with a view to ...
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NewsSydney Metro operator shortlist announced
AUSTRALIA: Two consortia have been shortlisted to bid for the Integrated Metro Operations contract for phase 1 of Sydney Metro between Central and Rozelle.The successful bidders are: Kujika consortium, comprising Bovis Lend Lease, Downer EDI, Keolis, McConnell Dowell, Thales and financial advisor Plenary Group; Met One, comprising Serco, Bombardier Transportation, ...
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News€500m loan for Paris tram T3 extension
FRANCE: A €500m agreement to finance an extension of tram line T3 in the east of Paris was signed by Anne Hidalgo, First Deputy to the Mayor of Paris, and Philippe de Fontaine Vive Curtaz, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, on September 28. EIB has previously contributed €130m towards ...
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News
Beijing Line 4 starts trial operation
CHINA: Beijing Municipal Communist Party Secretary Liu Qi officially initiated trial operation of Beijing metro Line 4 on September 28. Following the ceremony at National Library station, Liu Qi, accompanied by Mayor of Beijing Guo Jinlong, Hong Kong Secretary for Transport & Housing Eva Cheng, MTR Corp Chairman Dr Raymond ...
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NewsGranada tram wiring contract
SPAIN: The regional government of Andalucía has awarded a €16·4m contract to Alstom Transport and Inabensa for the supply and installation of overhead line equipment and power supplies for the initial tram route in Granada.Due to open for revenue service in 2011, the 15·9 km initial route will link Armilla ...
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NewsHelsinki metro extension automation deal
FINLAND: Helsinki transport operator HKL has exercised an option for Siemens Mobility to provide automation equipment for the 14 km, seven station extension of the capital's metro westwards to Espoo. The contract announced by Siemens on September 28 is worth €56m. It follows a €100m deal covering automation ...
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NewsSan Diego orders shorter LRVs
USA: The Metropolitan Transit System board approved an order for 57 Siemens S70 Avanto light rail vehicles for the San Diego Trolley on September 24, with an option for a further eight. The new LRVs will cost $3·6m each, and are part of an option for 180 included in ...
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NewsNürnberg U2 goes driverless
GERMANY: The first revenue services without drivers began running on Nürnberg U-bahn Line U2 on September 28. Four of the eight trains in service on U2 are now running under automatic control, and full automation is planned by January 2 2010. The first section of U2 opened in January ...
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NewsLos Angeles takes up AnsaldoBreda LRV option
USA: Los Angeles MTA has exercised an option with AnsaldoBreda for 100 additional light rail vehicles, as part of a deal that requires the Italian company to build a manufacturing facility in Los Angeles. The board voted 8-3 in favour of the order on September 24, accepting AnsaldoBreda's offer ...
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NewsWien orders 20 more metro trains
AUSTRIA: Wiener Linien has ordered a further 20 Type V six-car metro trains for delivery in 2012-17. This is the third and final order placed within a 1998 framework agreement for 60 trainsets; 25 were ordered in 2002 and 15 in 2007. The first entered service in summer 2006, and ...
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NewsRotterdam metro route rebranding
NETHERLANDS: Rotterdam operator RET has started a rebranding programme under which the Caland and Erasmus line names are being dropped. To be completed by December, the reorganisation is intended to help visitors and occasional travellers to use the metro. It also paves the way for completion of the ...
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NewsIn which funding is allocated for energy efficiency
USA: Flywheel energy storage on the Los Angeles metro is included in the 43 projects allocated a total of $100m of funding under the Transit Investments for Greenhouse Gas & Energy Reduction grant programme. Los Angeles County MTA has been allocated $4·5m of TIGGER funds for the Westlake wayside ...
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NewsBeijing metro still expanding
CHINA: Last month saw the start of work on the first phase of Beijing metro Line 7, between Beijing West and Jiaohuachang. The project is part of an ambitious plan to expand the capital’s metro network to 560 km and 20 lines by 2015, from 200 km at the time ...
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NewsKarlsruhe orders more tram-trains
GERMANY: Bombardier has been awarded a €129m contract to supply Albtal-Verkehrs GmbH and Verkehrsbetriebe Karlsruhe with dual-voltage Flexity Swift tram-trains between August 2011 and September 2013. The contract announced on September 18 includes an option for up to 45 additional vehicles. The three-section 50% low-floor cars will be ...
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NewsSidetrack - September 2009
CZECH REPUBLIC: A programme is underway to replace the escalators on the Praha metro. However, it is reported that European Union regulations require the replacement escalators to be much slower than the existing ones, with speeds cut from 2·5 m/sec to just 0·7 m/sec. ‘The old escalators, which were ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - September 2009
An experiment that began last September to remove up to 14 seats from six of Chicago Transit Authority's 39-seat 'L' cars to reduce overcrowding has ended, with public opinion against converting any more cars to ‘Maxi' configuration. Additional stanchions and grab handles were added to the test cars for safety, ...
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NewsBangalore metro train control contract signed
INDIA: On September 16 Bangalore Metro Rail Corp signed a €91m contract for signalling and train controls for its first two lines with a consortium of Alstom, Thales and Sumitomo. Consortium leader A lstom's share is worth around €57m, and includes the supply, installation and commissioning of Urbalis 200 ...
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NewsBrest and Dijon award joint tram order
FRANCE: The cities of Brest and Dijon have jointly awarded Alstom a contract to supply 52 Citadis trams worth more than €100m. In November last year the two cities agreed to co-operate to streamline procurement of their vehicles. Brest requires 20 trams for a 14·3 km line scheduled to ...
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NewsRotherham tram-train replaces Penistone scheme
UK: Proposals to test diesel 'tram-trains' on the Sheffield - Huddersfield line have been put on hold in favour of linking Sheffield city centre with Rotherham through a new connection between the Supertram light rail network and a Network Rail freight line at Meadowhall South. 'We have learned a ...