Lyon metro Line B goes driverless with GoA4 upgrade
FRANCE: Lyon transport authority Sytral Mobilités, operator Keolis and technology supplier Alstom launched Grade of Automation 4 unattended automatic operation of metro Line B on June 25.
Russian-developed Faster Payments System piloted on Moscow Metro
RUSSIA: The city of Moscow and the Bank of Russia have launched pilot scheme enabling the use of the National Payment Card System’s Faster Payments System at 80 metro stations. They said the capital is the first Russian city where FPS with QR-code public transport payment will work on such ...
Still no long-term funding deal for Transport for London
UK: Transport for London’s current extraordinary funding agreement with the Department for Transport has been extended to July 13.
Paris Line 14 extensions on course to open in June 2024
FRANCE: Paris transport operator RATP is working towards a simultaneous opening of the Line 14 northern and southern metro extensions in June 2024, the group’s project Manager Stéphane Garreau has confirmed to Metro Report International.
London Underground seeks renewable energy
UK: London Underground has called tenders for a long-term contract for the supply of electricity from renewable sources, as part of a wider scheme for the Greater London Authority group to move to renewable energy by 2030.
Cairo Metro Line 4 ticketing and telecoms contract awarded
EGYPT: National Authority for Tunnels has awarded Thales, Orascom Construction and Colas Rail a turnkey contract to design and deploy the telecoms, control and ticketing systems for Cairo Metro Line 4 Phase 1 and provide two years of maintenance.
China dominates list of the world’s top 10 longest metro networks
INTERNATIONAL: The opening of the latest extension takes Chongqing up to seventh place in Railway Gazette’s Knowledge Hub analysis of the world’s largest metros, displacing London Underground (405 route-km) out of the top 10 for the first time and leaving Moscow (437 route-km) as the sole non-Chinese city represented.
Chongqing Line 4 extended northeast
CHINA: The second phase of Chongqing Rail Transit’s Line 4 opened from Tangjiatuo to Huangling on June 18, adding 32·6 route-km and 15 stations.
Tactile paving now at all Tyne & Wear Metro stations
UK: Tyne & Wear Metro has installed tactile paving at a further 12 stations, meaning all 60 of its stations now have a visual and physical alert to the presence of the platform edges.
Kuala Lumpur opens first phase of Putrajaya Line
MALAYSIA: The first phase of Kuala Lumpur’s fully automated Putrajaya Line was opened on June 16, with revenue services starting at 15.00 following an inauguration ceremony at 10.00 attended by Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.
Egyptian rolling stock localisation agreement signed
EGYPT: The National Egyptian Railway Industries Co joint venture has signed an agreement with Hyundai Rotem for the local assembly of 40 metro trains totalling 320 cars to be deployed on Cairo metro lines 2 and 3.
Operator and university to collaborate on railway technology
CHINA: MTR Corp, MTR Academy and Hong Kong Polytechnic University have signed a memorandum of understanding to explore innovative railway technologies including smart asset and operations management and intelligent maintenance.
Panamá metro contracts awarded
PANAMA: Metro de Panamá has awarded the TCP Rail joint venture of TSO and CIM two contracts for extension works and infrastructure maintenance.
Metros can capitalise on telecoms innovation
The emergence of 5G networks and Fibre to the Edge technology means urban rail operators can now address some of the long-standing challenges of getting telecoms connectivity across the whole of their networks, benefitting passengers and operating staff alike, argues Dr Yong Hoon Kang, Chief Technology Officer at Solid Inc.
Hangzhou metro expands
CHINA: Two extensions of Hangzhou metro Line 3 have opened, taking the city’s network to more than 450 km, with further expansion to 500 km planned.
Praha metro Line D loan agreed
CZECH REPUBLIC: The European Investment Bank is to provide a KC22·7bn 40-year loan to finance 50% of the cost of construction of the first phase of Praha’s fourth metro line.
Madrid Line 11 construction contract awarded
SPAIN: Metro de Madrid has selected a consortium of ACS, Acciona and Rover as prefrerred bidder for a €550m contract to build the next phase of Line 11.
Paris metro Line 12 extension opens after frozen construction technique
FRANCE: An unusual technique using liquid nitrogen has been used during the construction of a 2 km extension of Paris metro Line 12 from Aubervilliers Front Populaire to Aimé Césaire and Mairie d’Aubervilliers.
Hydrogen-powered milling machine ready for testing
INTERNATIONAL: Linsinger says its hydrogen fuel cell powered rail milling machine is attracting interest from urban rail operators around the world, as its prepares to trial the vehicle on two European metros during July and August.
Almaty metro extension opens
KAZAKHSTAN: A 3·1 km southwestern extension of the Almaty metro from Moskva to Bauyrzhan Momyshuly opened May 30, adding two stations and taking the line to 13·4 km.