Stuttgart rack railway tram and bicycle wagon delivered
GERMANY: The first of first of three light rail vehicles and bicycle carrying trailers for the 2·2 km metre-gauge Riggenbach rack line which climbs 200 m up a valley in Stuttgart has been delivered to operator Stuttgarter Straßenbahnen.
Porto unveils CRRC LRV design
PORTUGAL: Metro do Porto has unveiled the design of the 18 Class CT light rail vehicles it has ordered from CRRC Tangshan.
Lisboa metro and tram extensions funded
PORTUGAL: The national government, municipality and operator Metropolitano de Lisboa have signed the contracts to fund the southwestern extension of the metro Red Line from São Sebastião to Alcântara, as well as the planned Odivelas/Loures light rail corridor.
Revolution Very Light Rail demonstrator offers options for branch line revival
Rail Business UK takes a ride on the Revolution Very Light Rail vehicle, which is designed to provide an attractive, low-cost option to facilitate the reopening of disused branch lines and extending existing lines.
Galveston Trolley reopens
USA: The Galveston Island Trolley in Texas has reopened, having been suspended since the infrastructure and heritage-style cars were damaged by Hurricane Ike in September 2008.
Be’er Sheva light rail planning underway
ISRAEL: The Ministry of Transport & Road Safety’s Infrastructure Planning & Development Administration has held its first meeting to oversee the development of a light rail line in the city of Be’er Sheva.
Dresden unveils its wider trams
GERMANY: Dresden transport operator DVB and Alstom have unveiled the first NGT DX DD Flexity tram, with 2 500 people visiting Gorbitz depot over the weekend of October 2-3 to take a look at the vehicle.
Paris tram framework contract awarded
FRANCE: Paris transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités and operator RATP have selected Alstom for a framework contract to supply up to 120 trams worth €310m.
Aircraft component supplier wins Stadler tram order
GERMANY: Lightweight aircraft materials supplier Elbe Flugzeugwerke has announced its first contract to supply rolling stock components to Stadler Rail, saying the order is a milestone in the expansion of its activities in the rail sector.
UKTram consults on draft light rail strategy
UK: Light rail industry body UKTram is seeking comments on its draft Light Rail Strategy for the UK, which is due to be submitted to ministers and the Department for Transport later this year.
Constantine tram extension completed
ALGERIA: The 3·4 km final section of Constantine’s southern tramway extension from Chahid Kadri Brahim to Université Abdelhamid-Mehri was inaugurated by Prime Minister & Finance Minister Aimene Benabderrahmane on September 29.
Wien approves northern tram expansion
AUSTRIA: The Wien city government has approved the construction of a new tram route serving the Aspern district, as a branch off the orbital Strebersdorf – Hausfeldstrasse route 26 on the northern side of the River Donau.
Blackpool Transport radios go digital
UK: TES Communication Solutions is to replace the analogue radio equipment on Blackpool Transport Services’ tram and bus fleets with a digital system.
Tramway road-rail vehicles delivered
BELGIUM: Zagro Bahn- und Baumaschinen has delivered four Unimog U423 road-rail vehicles to Brussels transport operator STIB.