Metro news – Page 226
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NewsGO Transit electrification study announced
CANADA: Greater Toronto transport authority Metrolinx announced a study into electrifying the entire GO Transit rail network on May 26. As the first stage, an external advisory committee of independent technical experts community representatives and passengers will be established to advise on the terms of reference. 'This committee's advice ...
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NewsPastries, parties and stamps celebrate first segment of Circle Line
SINGAPORE: Passengers began using the first five Circle Line stations on May 28, after Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean ceremonially opened the first 5·7 km segment of the line the previous day. The S$6·7bn CCL is being built in five phases, which will form a 33·3 km horseshoe ...
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NewsCalgary to fund C-Train expansion
CANADA: Mayor of Calgary Dave Bronconnier has announced a two-year investment programme to develop the city’s public transport network. He was joined by federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice and Alberta’s Minister Justice Alison, as the three levels of government will each be providing one-third of the C$270m funding package. According ...
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NewsBART plans replacement of entire fleet
USA: On May 6 Bay Area Rapid Transit District announced an ambitious $3·4bn plan to purchase 700 metro cars to replace its entire 669-car fleet, some of which is now nearly 40 years old, and increase capacity to handle 500 000 weekday passengers in the San Francisco area. There ...
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NewsCrossrail construction launched
UK: After years of planning and uncertainty, construction of Crossrail became a reality on May 15 when the first of nearly 400 steel piles, each 18.5 m high, was launched by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Mayor of London Boris Johnson. The piles will form the basis of the new ...
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NewsShenyang metro concession signed
CHINA: MTR Corp, Shenyang Metro Group and the Shenyang municipal government signed a 30-year operations and maintenance concession for the future metro lines 1 and 2 on May 7. The contract signing follows from an agreement in principle which was signed last November. The metro will be operated by ...
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NewsMontpellier selects Citadis for Line 3
FRANCE: The greater Montpellier authority announced its selection of Alstom Citadis trams for the future Line 3 on May 12. A €65m contract for 23 trams plus a full-size mock-up will be signed in the next few weeks. Options covering maintenance for 10 years and a further 12 trams ...
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NewsManchester’s ‘big bang’ back on
UK: Plans to complete the expansion of Manchester’s Metrolink light rail network are set to be submitted to government after an alternative funding package worth £1·4bn was agreed by the 10 boroughs in Greater Manchester. A referendum was held in December 2008 to decide whether a £3bn package of ...
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NewsSofia metro Line 1 extension opens
BULGARIA: President Georgi Parvanov and mayor of Sofia Boyko Borisov opened an extension of the metro from Vasil Levski Stadium to Mladost on May 8. The extension of Line 1 is 5·6 km long and has three intermediate stations. Line 1 is being operated in two separate sections following ...
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NewsBombardier preferred bidder for Blackpool trams
UK: Preferred bidders for three contracts to revitalise Britain's only surviving traditional tramway were selected by Blackpool council on May 6. Bombardier Transportation has been chosen to supply 16 low-floor trams to the seaside resort, where they will operate alongside the existing vintage vehicles. Track upgrades and missing certain ...
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NewsExtra metro trains for Singapore
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority announced on May 6 that it had awarded a consortium of Kawasaki Heavy Industries and CSR Qingdao Sifang a S$368m contract to supply 22 six-car trains for the North-South and East-West lines. Deliveries are scheduled for 2011-12. The train order runs in parallel ...
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NewsFederal funds for Portland Streetcar Loop
USA: The Department of Transportation has awarded a total of $75m to the Portland Streetcar Loop. This includes $30m from the FTA 's Small Starts programme, and $45m earmarked in the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations bill signed by President Obama in March. Another $72m will come from local and state lottery ...
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NewsAbu Dhabi unveils transport master plan
UAE: Tenders for construction of the first of 30 light rail routes are to be invited in the next two months, following the official launch of the emirate’s Surface Transport Master Plan 2030 by the Crown Prince, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the end of April. Prepared by ...
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Lyon T4 first phase opens
FRANCE: Phase 1 of Lyon’s fourth tram line entered service on April 20. Linking Jet d’Eau to Feyzin, the €185·3m line T4 is 10 km long with 18 stops, and is operated by 13 Citadis trams. Sytral, the city’s transport authority, was one of the first to choose Alstom’s Citadis ...
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NewsNottingham’s next step
UK: The government approved the Transport & Works Act Order granting joint promoters Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council legal powers to build Nottingham Express Transit Phase Two on March 30. However, full government approval is still needed before construction can begin. The next step is to seek ...
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Tram on test
CZECH REPUBLIC: A prototype of Škoda’s Type 15T ForCity articulated low-floor tram began trials in Plzen on March 19. A total of 250 three-car unidirectional vehicles have been ordered by Praha operator DPHMP (RG 5.08 p279) at a cost of KC16bn, to augment its fleet of 60 Škoda Type 14T ...
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NewsHelsinki lines open
FINLAND: Helsinki’s public transport operator HKL began operations on two new sections of tram line on March 30, adding 7·2 km to take the total network to 112·3 km. The extensions significantly increase service flexibility. The figure -of-eight 3T/3B routes now wind through several central pedestrian zones and 3T ...
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NewsUrban rail news in brief - May 2009
The central government approved a revised budget on April 20 for the planned Taichung Mass Rapid Transit system in central Taiwan, increasing funding to NT$51·4bn from the previous NT$28·8bn. The 16·7 km 18 station project will link Taichung City’s Beitun district to Taichung County’s Wuri, based on an amended plan. ...
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NewsStrong interest in Sydney metro contract
AUSTRALIA: New South Wales’ Transport Minister David Campbell announced on April 29 that 13 groups had registered an interest in the contract to build the infrastructure for the planned CBD metro line in Sydney. These include both local and international companies. Formal Expressions of Interest are to be returned by ...
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NewsEdmonton launches South LRT extension
CANADA: The first 2·3km segment of Edmonton Transit’s C$673m South LRT extension from Health Sciences Centre to South Campus was ceremonially opened on April 25, along with a new intermediate station at McKernan/Belgravia. Construction of the extension began in 2005, and the remaining 5·2 km to Century Park is expected ...