Ticketing innovation in Saint-Etienne transport contract
FRANCE: An expansion of tram services and the introduction of contactless open payments are highlights of the new contract for Transdev to continue operating the STAS public transport network in Saint-Etienne.
Rostock orders TINA trams
GERMANY: Rostocker Straßenbahnen has ordered 28 Stadler TINA trams, which will gradually replace its 6N1 trams dating from 1994-96 on all six routes from 2025.
Bozankaya tram enters service in Timișoara
ROMANIA: The first of 21 trams being supplied by Turkish company Bozankaya has entered service on Route 1 in Timișoara, the first tram supplied new to the city in 50 years.
Gragnano light rail plan agreed
ITALY: Local municipalities have agreed to develop a 4 km light rail line to connect Gragnano with the terminus of Trenitalia’s Napoli suburban service at Castellammare di Stabia, east of Sorrento.
Montpellier orders 60 trams
FRANCE: Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole has selected CAF to supply 60 trams to its local transport operator TaM, with options for 17 more bringing the total value of the order to €223·7m.
Smart turnouts to be installed on Moscow tram network
RUSSIA: The roll-out of an automatic route-setting system on the Moscow tram network has begun with the first test deployment near the Kursk railway station.
Tram network planned in northern Rio
BRAZIL: The Rio de Janeiro state government is to call tenders this year for the construction of a 23 km tram network serving the city’s northern suburbs including Nova Iguaçu, Belford Roxo and Pavuna.
Cardiff Northwest Corridor tram-train report published
UK: Proposals have been published for the development of a tram-train network to serve housing developments on the Northwest Corridor between Cardiff and Llantrisant.
NSW commits to Parramatta Light Rail Stage 2
AUSTRALIA: The New South Wales government has confirmed A$602·4m of funding to enable the start of detailed planning and preliminary works for Stage 2 of the Parramatta Light Rail project in western Sydney.
Auckland Light Rail board appointed
NEW ZEALAND: Dame Fran Wilde has been appointed as Chair of the board being established to oversee the Auckland Light Rail project. Due to begin work on June 1, the board will succeed the Establishment Unit Board which guided development of the Indicative Business Case.
Celebrations as Odense tramway opens
DENMARK: Music, entertainment and free chocolate-coated strawberries featured in the celebrations marking the opening of the Odense tramway on May 28.
Cross-border tram-train project scrapped
EUROPE: After many years of discussion and planning, the government of the Belgian region of Vlaanderen has decided not to go ahead with plans to for a tram-train service running from Hasselt across the Dutch border to Maastricht.
Tampere orders more trams
FINLAND: Škoda Group has been awarded a contract to supply a further five ForCity Smart Artic X34 trams to Tampere.
Disability consultancy undertakes Lyon accessibility audit
FRANCE: Accessibility consultancy Direct Access has expanded its rail work into France through a pilot project with Keolis to audit rail, metro, tram and bus interchanges in Lyon.