Mumbai metro train ready for testing
INDIA: Test running is scheduled to begin this month with the first of 96 six-car metro trainsets which BEML’s Bengaluru plant is supplying for Mumbai lines 2A and 7.
First Dhaka Metro Line 6 train shipped
BANGLADESH: The first train for Dhaka Metro Line 6 has been shipped out of Kobe Port, manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries confirmed on March 4.
Air-conditioned Piccadilly Line train designs presented
UK: Transport for London and Siemens Mobility have unveiled the detailed design for the 94 air-conditioned trainsets ordered to replace London Underground’s Piccadilly Line fleet from 2025.
Two-line automated metro proposed for Graz
AUSTRIA: Proposals for a two-line automated metro network are included in a study into future transport concepts published by the city of Graz.
LTE certified to support CBTC
SPAIN: CAF Signalling has certified the integration of its communications-based train control platform with Teltronic’s eNebula LTE infrastructure and RTP-800 onboard terminal, following laboratory tests and field testing on Bilbao metro Line 3.
Kyiv metro trains get mid-life overhaul
UKRAINE: Kyiv metro’s rolling stock repair workshop has rolled out an initial set of five Type 81-717/714 cars which have undergone a 35m hryvnia mid-life modernisation.
China: Metro openings hit record high
Almost 700 km of new metro and tram lines and extensions were opened in 15 Chinese cities during the closing weeks of 2020 as 29 separate projects came to fruition. Toma Bačić investigates.
Mersin metro electromechanical tender result
TURKEY: Mersin municipality has announced the results of a tender for the supply, installation and commissioning of electromechanical systems for the Mezitli – Üçocak metro line.
Kolkata Line 1 reaches Dakshineswar
INDIA: Commercial services began running on a northern extension of Kolkata Metro Line 1 on February 23, following a formal opening ceremony the previous day.
Series 17000 EMUs enter service in Tokyo
JAPAN: Tokyo Metro put its first Series 17000 EMUs into revenue service on its 1 067 mm gauge Yurakucho and Fukutoshin lines on February 21, with minimum publicity as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
App to keep passengers up to date with Tyne & Wear Metro depot works
UK: Contractor VolkerFitzpatrick has worked with software developer SitePodium to launch a community engagement app to help people living and working around the Tyne & Wear Metro’s Gosforth depot gain a better understanding of the works to rebuild the facility to accommodate new Stadler trainsets.
Dubai RTA launches metro engineering information platform
UAE: Dubai’s Roads & Transport Authority has launched an electronic platform for railway engineering information, containing about 800 000 documents relating to assets on the metro’s Red and Green lines as well as data about the authority, consultants, project contractors, rail operators and other bodies.
Commuter line to metro conversion contracts awarded
AUSTRALIA: Contracts have been awarded for the upgrading of 13 km of Sydney’s T3 Bankstown Line commuter route between Sydenham and Bankstown to metro standards as part of the Metro City & Southwest project.
Chennai Blue Line extended north
INDIA: Chennai Metro Rail’s 9·1 km Blue Line extension was opened by Prime Minister Narenda Modi on February 14.
Siemens Mobility awards contracts for train factory to ‘put Goole on the map’
UK: Siemens Mobility Ltd has awarded contracts totalling £50m for the first phase of construction of the £200m rolling stock factory at Goole where it is to produce trainsets for London Underground’s Piccadilly Line, with potential follow-on orders for the Bakerloo, Central and Waterloo & City lines.
Filters deployed and UV on test, but robot struggles to disinfect metro trains
USA: San Francisco’s BART is ‘actively evaluating many different technologies’ that could potentially be used to combat the coronavirus, according to Chief Safety Officer Jeff Lau.
Digital train control to drive modal shift in Frankfurt
GERMANY: Frankfurt-am-Main public transport operator VGF has called tenders for a CBTC signalling and train protection system for use across its U-Bahn and tram networks.
LEDs replace halogen lights on Lille metro trains
FRANCE: Lille operator Transpole has replaced the halogen lamps on its light metro trains with Mafelec M-Light ML5-1/170 multifunctional LED lighting units, reducing energy consumption and maintenance costs.
St Petersburg metro orders battery electric locomotives
RUSSIA: Metrowagonmash is to supply the St Petersburg Metro with two battery electric locomotives for shunting and maintenance duties.
Singapore – Malaysia metro viaduct contract awarded
ASIA: Singapore’s Land Transport Authority has awarded China Communications Construction Co the second civil works contract for the construction of its side of the cross-border metro to Malaysia.