Metro to the pyramids contract awarded
EGYPT: The National Authority for Tunnels has awarded a consortium of Mitsubishi Corp and Orascom Construction the US$800m Railway Systems, Track & Depot Works Package CP411 contract for Cairo metro Line 4 Phase 1.
Guangzhou metro Line 8 extended north to Baiyun
CHINA: Guangzhou Metro Corp opened an extension of Line 8 from Cultural Park on the west side of the city centre to Jiaoxin in Baiyun District to the north on November 26, adding 16·3 km and 11 stations.
Sydney tenders western airport metro works
AUSTRALIA: Prequalification has started for a second package of civil engineering works on the planned metro line to serve the future Western Sydney International Airport and the proposed Western Parkland City.
Glasgow Subway tunnel improvement contract awarded
UK: Strathclyde Partnership for Transport has awarded Freyssinet a five-year contract to undertake tunnel lining improvements as part of the second phase of the modernisation of the Glasgow Subway.
Berlin to establish rolling stock company
GERMANY: The Berlin Senate has decided to establish a rolling stock agency to procure and lease vehicles for use on local rail services.
Köln orders 64 Citadis trams customised for the German market
GERMANY: Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe AG has awarded a consortium of Alstom Transportation Deutschland and Kiepe Electric a €363m contract to supply 64 Citadis low-floor trams to a new configuration adapted for the German market.
Urban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector
Two openings expand Nanning metro
CHINA: Nanning metro Line 4 running 20·7 km east-west from Lengtangcun to Hongyun Lu with 16 stations opened on November 23, along with a 6·3 km, five-station extension of Line 2 southeast from Yudong to Tanze.
Marconi Express monorail opens in Bologna
ITALY: A 5∙1 km monorail linking Bologna’s Marconi Airport with the city’s main line station opened for revenue service on November 18.
Keolis Shanghai selected to operate Jiaxing tramway
CHINA: The Keolis Shanghai joint venture of Keolis (49%) and Shanghai Shentong Metro Group (51%) is to operate a catenary-free tramway in Jiaxing, one of the largest cities in Zhejiang province.
Clay figure folk art inspires Wuxi metro train styling
CHINA: CRRC Zhuzhou has delivered the first of 25 six-car Type B trainsets ordered for the future Wuxi metro Line 4.
Faster monorail on trial
CHINA: Test running has started with a prototype 100 km/h monorail train being developed by CRRC Qingdao Sifang.
Karachi Circular Railway section revived
PAKISTAN: The long-proposed resumption of services on part of the Karachi Circular Railway was celebrated with an inaugural train on November 19.
Russia sets out national metro standards
RUSSIA: The Federal Agency for Technical Regulation & Metrology Rosstandart has formally approved the first part of a planned set of national standards for the construction and operation of metro networks.
Contactless payment introduced in Adelaide
AUSTRALIA: Conduent Transportation has deployed a contactless open payment system for the Adelaide tram network, enabling passengers to use Visa, MasterCard and NFC-enabled smart devices to pay their fares.
State budget backs Melbourne ring line
AUSTRALIA: Prequalification will start by the end of 2020 for work on Melbourne’s orbital Suburban Rail Loop, Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews announced on November 16.
Hong Kong’s latest generation of light rail vehicles enter service
CHINA: The first of Hong Kong’s latest generation of light rail vehicles began entering service on routes 610 and 751 in the Northwest New Territories on November 17.
Urban transport industry news round-up
This week’s round-up of news from the urban transport sector
More Île-de-France tram-trains ordered by SNCF
FRANCE: Alstom has been awarded a €70m firm order to supply Transilien SNCF with a further 13 Citadis Dualis tram-trains, funded by Île-de-France Mobilités.
First REM light metro trainset unveiled in Montréal
CANADA: The first cars to be supplied by Alstom for the Réseau Express Métropolitain automated metro network in Montréal were formally unveiled by Groupe PMM on November 16.