Street theatre to raise vaccine awareness at metro construction sites
INDIA: Delhi Metro Rail Corp has organised street theatre performances at construction sites to raise awareness of the benefits of Covid-19 vaccination.
Gebze metro tunnelling begins
TURKEY: Tunnelling for the 14·6 km Gebze metro was officially launched by Minister of Transport & Infrastructure Adil Karaismailoğlu on June 14. The first section of the line is scheduled to open by the end of 2023.
Brussels M7 metro trains launched
BELGIUM: Brussels metro operator STIB has officially launched its M7 series trainsets into operation, with CEO Brieuc Meeûs d’Argenteuil and the capital region’s Minister of Mobility Elke van den Brandt taking invited guests for a short ride on the first unit from Erasmus station on Line 1.
Dubai Red Line metro reaches Expo 2020
UAE: The 9 km extension of Dubai’s automated metro network from Al Furjan to the Expo 2020 fairground was opened for revenue service on June 1, in preparation for the delayed start of the world fair being hosted by the emirate.
Sydney Metro appoints airport line delivery partners
AUSTRALIA: Sydney Metro has appointed a consortium led by SNC-Lavalin in partnership with HKA and Infrastructure Nation to act as Integration & Delivery Partner for the A$11bn Western Sydney Airport line.
Tokyo Metro’s Hanzomon Line trains unveiled
JAPAN: The first of 19 Series 18000 trainsets to operate Tokyo Metro’s Hanzomon Line was unveiled at Saginuma depot in Kawasaki city on June 2.
Baku metro extended
AZERBAIJAN: A 1 km extension of the Baku metro’s Violet Line from Memar Əcəmi to a new station at 8 Noyabr was inaugurated President Ilham Aliyev on May 29, two days before the metro reopened following a pandemic closure which began on October 19 2020. The metro will only operate ...
Istanbul opens metro Line M9
TURKEY: Line M9 on the European side of Istanbul opened on May 29.
Driverless train study required under latest Transport for London support deal
UK: The Department for Transport has agreed a further funding package for Transport for London, with government conditions including studies for the possible conversion of two Underground lines to driverless operation.
Facial recognition payment to be rolled out at Moscow Metro stations
RUSSIA: A facial recognition based payment system is to be offered at all Moscow Metro stations by the end of the year, according to Deputy Mayor and Head of the Department of Transport & Road Infrastructure Development Maxim Liksutov.
Iranian metro train rolled out
IRAN: A domestically-designed metro train with 85% local content has been unveiled by President Hassan Rouhani.
Shenzhen driverless metro train unveiled
CHINA: CRRC Changchun has rolled out the first of the nine Type A trainsets for GoA4 unattended automatic operation on the future Shenzhen metro Line 20.
Double-deck viaduct included in Chennai metro expansion contracts
INDIA: Chennai Metro Rail Corp has awarded major contracts for Phase II construction works.
Transport for London funding package extended by 10 days
UK: The government and the Mayor of London have agreed a 10-day extension of Transport for London’s current funding deal, which was due to expire on May 18. The latest extension on the same terms comprises a payment of £65m with a top-up grant available based on actual passenger revenues.
Tyne & Wear Metro double-tracking contract awarded
UK: Buckingham Group Contracting has been awarded a £55m contract for the construction stage of the Metro Flow project to double the three remaining sections of single track on the Tyne & Wear Metro network.
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.
RTS Link rolling stock and railway systems contracts awarded
ASIA: RTS Operations has confirmed the award of railway systems contracts totalling 1bn ringgits for the Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System shuttle between Malaysia and Singapore.
Technology: Decision support tool drives up network performance
Singapore metro operator SMRT Trains has worked with Bentley Systems to deploy a highly automated decision support software platform that has driven efficiency gains in its track maintenance activity.
Lisboa finalises metro upgrade package
PORTUGAL: Lisboa Metro has finalised a €114·5m contract with Siemens Mobility and Stadler for resignalling of its three oldest metro lines and the supply of 14 three-car trainsets, having selected the consortium as preferred bidder in January 2020.
Alstom to supply I-CBTC for more Paris metro lines
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP has awarded Alstom a contract to supply its I-CBTC onboard equipment for 44 steel-wheeled MF19 trainsets it is building for use on metro lines 10, 7bis, and 3bis. There are options for a further 47 trains for Line 3, 15 years of maintenance and future ...