Battery tram delivered ahead of West Midlands Metro expansion
UK: West Midlands Metro has taken delivery of the first of eight battery-equipped third generation CAF Urbos trams ahead of the opening of extensions to Edgbaston Village at the Birmingham end of its light rail line and to Wolverhampton station at the other end.
Brussels tram turnout contract awarded
BELGIUM: Brussels operator STIB has awarded Vossloh Cogifer Kihn a 10-year framework contract worth almost €40m for the supply of tramway turnouts.
Toronto streetcar funding confirmed
CANADA: The government of Ontario has agreed to provide C$180m to support the purchase of 60 additional streetcars for Toronto Transit Commission. The funding will be matched by the federal government, with the City of Toronto providing an additional C$208m.
Toronto subway expansion funding announced
CANADA: Federal funding to cover 40% of the C$26·8bn cost of four ‘shovel-ready’ public transport projects in the Greater Toronto Area was announced on May 12.
Toruń tramway extension contract awarded
POLAND: A consortium of Balzola Polska and Intop Warszawa has been awarded a 158m złoty contract to build a 5·5 km tramway extension to the Jar residential district in the north of the city of Toruń.
Texas backs Capital Metro tunnels
USA: The Texas House of Representatives has approved the construction of metro tunnels under Republic Square Park and Brush Square in Austin as part of Capital Metro’s light rail expansion programme.
Nizhniy Novgorod orders retro-style trams
RUSSIA: The city of Nizhny Novgorod has ordered 11 UTM Type 71-415R (R for ‘retro’) vintage-style trams.
Acciona to eliminate Melbourne rail/tram crossing
AUSTRALIA: Victoria’s Major Transport Infrastructure Authority has selected an Acciona-led consortium to rebuild a section of Melbourne’s Frankston suburban line, eliminating two level crossings southeast of the city and the flat crossing between rail and tram routes at Glenhuntley.
Very Light Rail rapid charger installed at Dudley test track
UK: Furrer+Frey GB has installed an ‘ultra-rapid’ battery charge station at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre in Dudley, where the prototype vehicle for the planned Coventry VLR line is to be tested.
Chelyabinsk orders 30 trams
RUSSIA: Sinara Transport Machines has signed a 1·6bn rouble contract to supply 30 trams to the city of Chelyabinsk, enabling the replacement of about 20% of the fleet.
Twist trams delivered to Tramwaje Śląskie
POLAND: PESA Bydgoszcz has completed the delivery of 35 Twist low-floor trams ordered by Tramwaje Śląskie.
Tram tracking and depot management contract awarded
ISRAEL: CAF has awarded GMV a contract to supply an automatic vehicle location and depot management system for Jerusalem’s expanding light rail network.
CAF confirms Lisboa Route 15 tram contract
PORTUGAL: Lisboa operator Carris has finalised a €43m contract for CAF to supply 15 metre-gauge Urbos trams and provide five years of maintenance.
Cfir takes over Jerusalem light rail operations
ISRAEL: The Cfir grouping of CAF and local company Shapir Engineering Ltd took over as operating concessionaire for the Jerusalem light rail network on April 16, succeeding CityPass which had held the contract to operate the Red Line for the past 10 years.
Tram operator joins CIRAS health and safety reporting service
Manchester tram airflow helps to limit coronavirus risk, study finds
First tram for Raide-Jokeri line delivered
Trams with custom lighting enter service as Paris T9 opens
Ufa tramway modernisation agreement signed
Interurban tramway upgrade begins