FAA approves $2∙1bn peoplemover link to New York LaGuardia airport
USA: The Federal Aviation Administration issued a Record of Decision on July 20 approving plans by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey to build a 2∙4 km automated peoplemover to link New York’s LaGuardia Airport with Mets-Willets Point railway and metro station.
Miami-Dade Metromover modernisation contract
USA: Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation & Public Works has awarded Alstom a $140m contract to modernise railway systems on the Metromover peoplemover.
Cairo monorail train rolled out in Derby
EGYPT: The first of 70 four-car Innovia 300 driverless monorail trainsets for two lines which are under construction in Cairo has been rolled out at Alstom’s Derby plant in the UK.
Barcelona’s Tibidabo funicular becomes Firefly
SPAIN: The funicular which has linked Barcelona’s Plaça del Doctor Andreu with the amusement park on Monte Tibidabo since 1901 has reopened following a €18·3m modernisation. It is hoped that the project will help to reduce private car movements on the roads to Monte Tibidabo by 5%.
Wuhu monorail maintenance contract awarded
CHINA: The CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems joint venture has been awarded a 27-year contract to maintain the guideways and trainsets for the monorail network which is under construction at Wuhu in Anhui province. Opening is planned by the end of this year.
Peoplemover to serve Firenze Belfiore high speed station approved
ITALY: Approval has been granted for construction of a peoplemover to link Firenze’s Santa Maria Novella terminus with the Belfiore high speed station now under construction to the north of the city centre.
Four shortlisted for contract to replace Newark airport monorail
USA: Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has issued four shortlisted groups with a request for proposals for a contract to design, build, operate and maintain a 4 km elevated peoplemover to replace the ‘outmoded and unreliable’ AirTrain monorail at Newark Liberty International Airport.
Akiem joins autonomous railpod project
FRANCE: Rolling stock leasing company Akiem has signed a letter of intent paving the way for a financial and industrial partnership to develop the Taxirail concept for an autonomous ‘railpod’ ultra light rail shuttle vehicle.
Metro and monorail proposed to serve western Los Angeles
USA: The Los Angeles Metro board has selected two consortia to develop detailed concepts for the Sepulveda Transit Corridor, a proposed metro or monorail line to provide a high speed and high capacity connection between San Fernando Valley, the Westside and eventually Los Angeles International Airport as an alternative to ...
‘Bold, pioneering’ design concepts for Cambridgeshire metro unveiled
UK: ‘Thought-provoking’ design concepts have been published to show the ‘radical, innovative thinking’ behind Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority’s ambitious Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro proposal for a network of automated services connecting housing and employment across the region.
Bangkok monorail extension approved
THAILAND: Approval has been granted for an extension of Bangkok’s future Pink Line monorail.
Smart windows on Paris airport peoplemover
FRANCE: One of the Orlyval shuttles at Paris Orly airport has been fitted with smart LCD windows which show information including flight departures and weather forecasts for the destinations. .
Financing package enables Bombardier’s Derby plant to go ahead with Egyptian monorail production
EGYPT: Bombardier Transportation’s factory at Derby in the UK is to go ahead with the production of 70 four-car Innovia Monorail 300 trainsets for two lines being built in Cairo, after the British government confirmed a £1·7bn export finance guarantee.
Sillim Line operating contract awarded
SOUTH KOREA: Concessionaire NamSeoul Light Rail Co has awarded a 329·5bn won contract to a joint venture of Hyundai Rotem and Gwangju Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp for operation and maintenance of the Sillim Line automated light metro, which is due to open later this year.
Bangkok Gold Line peoplemover opens
THAILAND: The first section of Bangkok’s Gold Line peoplemover opened for revenue service on December 16, with Prime Minister Prayuth Cha-o-cha presiding over the launch ceremony.
Marconi Express monorail opens in Bologna
ITALY: A 5∙1 km monorail linking Bologna’s Marconi Airport with the city’s main line station opened for revenue service on November 18.
Faster monorail on trial
CHINA: Test running has started with a prototype 100 km/h monorail train being developed by CRRC Qingdao Sifang.
First REM light metro trainset unveiled in Montréal
CANADA: The first cars to be supplied by Alstom for the Réseau Express Métropolitain automated metro network in Montréal were formally unveiled by Groupe PMM on November 16.
Skytrain monorail on test
CHINA: A driverless suspended monorail vehicle with a design speed of 80 km/h is being tested on an 800 m elevated track in Wuhan.
Light metro cars bring a fresh breeze to Tokyo’s waterfront
JAPAN: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering has completed delivery of eight six-car Series 7500 rubber-tyred light metro trainsets which were ordered in September 2016 to replace Series 7200 sets on Tokyo’s Yurikamome Line.