San Diego opens Mid-Coast light rail extension
USA: The Mid-Coast Extension of San Diego’s light rail network was opened for revenue service on November 21, when the San Diego Association of Governments hosted celebrations at the University of California San Diego Central Campus in La Jolla.
West Midlands Metro governance inquiry launched
UK: An independent review into the governance of the West Midlands Metro light rail network is to be carried out in the wake of the withdrawal of the CAF tram fleet which operates services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
Sofia orders 25 trams after delayed process
BULGARIA: Sofia operator Elektrotransport has ordered 25 Swing trams from Pesa Bydgoszcz, the Polish manufacturer’s fourth order from the city.
Juventus tram link approved
ITALY: Torino municipality has given the final go-ahead for tram Line 12, which will link Juventus’ Allianz football stadium in the northwest of the city with Corso Lepanto in the south.
CAF wins its first Canadian light rail contract
CANADA: The city of Calgary has selected CAF to supply 28 light rail vehicles for Stage 1 of the future Green Line.
Education City Yellow Line opened
QATAR: Services have started running on the Yellow Line of the Education City light rail network, providing connections between Education City Stadium and the Qatar Metro Green Line at Al Shaqab.
Hyundai Rotem to supply Edmonton LRVs
CANADA: The City of Edmonton has selected Hyundai Rotem as preferred bidder to supply 40 low-floor light rail vehicles for the C$2·6bn Valley Line West project.
BLT signs contract for 25 TINA trams
SWITZERLAND: Baselland tram operator BLT has formally awarded Stadler a SFr125m contract to supply 25 TINA trams.
West Midlands Metro services suspended over tram cracks
UK: West Midlands Metro announced on November 12 that services would be suspended for at least four weeks from the following day because of cracking on its CAF Urbos 3 trams.
Cracking sidelines Sydney’s Inner West trams
AUSTRALIA: Services on Sydney’s Inner West light rail line have been suspended following the discovery of cracks on the low-floor tram fleet. A temporary bus service has been put in place to carry around 5 000 passengers/day.
Tram bogie on test
POLAND: Stadler has begun dynamic test of its TINA tram bogie, which is designed to improve ride quality while reducing noise and wear of the moving parts.
Replacement contractor selected for Maryland’s Purple Line light rail project
USA: Maryland Department of Transportation and PPP concessionaire Purple Line Transit Partners have selected a replacement contractor to complete the stalled project to build a 26 km east–west orbital light rail line between New Carrollton and Bethesda in the suburbs of Washington DC.
Berlin tram extension opens
GERMANY: A 2·7 km extension of the Berlin tram network from Karl-Ziegler-Straße to Schöneweide S-Bahn station with five stops opened on October 31.
Ostrava tram on test
CZECH REPUBLIC: City transport operator DP Ostrava has begun dynamic testing of the first of 35 Škoda Transportation ForCity Smart 39T trams which are being supplied under a KC1·7bn contract. Formal handover is scheduled for early next year.