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.
Ulaanbaatar’s yurt settlements to be served by cable car
MONGOLIA: A consortium of French aerial transport specialist Poma and rail consultancy Egis is to build an urban cable car route in Ulaanbaatar.
Panamá City monorail rolling stock and rail systems contract signed
PANAMA: The HPH joint venture which is prime contractor for the Panamá City metro Line 3 monorail has signed a US$883m contract for Hitachi Ltd, Hitachi Rail STS and Mitsubishi Corp to supply rolling stock and railway systems.
Salvador monorail design contract awarded
BRAZIL: Salvador monorail PPP concessionaire leader BYD has awarded SENER a contract to prepare detailed designs for the railway systems.
Bangkok monorail trains arrive
THAILAND: Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha joined a ceremony at the port of Laem Chabang on October 1 to mark the arrival of the first monorail trainsets for the Bangkok’s future Pink and Yellow lines.
Hiroshima Rapid Transit Co orders more rubber-tyre light metro trainsets
JAPAN: Hiroshima Rapid Transit Co has awarded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering a contract to supply a further 13 six-car Series 7000 Automated Guideway Transit rubber-tyre trainsets to replace existing vehicles on the 18·4 km New Transit Line 1, known as the Astram Line.
Wuppertal Schwebebahn services suspended amid tyre trouble
GERMANY: Weekday services on the Wuppertal Schwebebahn suspended monorail are to be withdrawn for up to a year to enable urgent guideway repairs, the operator has confirmed.
Bangkok Gold Line peoplemover car delivered
THAILAND: Bangkok Mass Transit System has taken delivery of the first of three two-car Bombardier Transportation Innovia 300 automated peoplemover sets for the future Gold Line
High-capacity vehicles ordered for Nippori-Toneri Liner
JAPAN: Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation awarded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engineering a contract on June 16 covering the supply of a further 12 five-car Series 330 trainsets for the Nippori-Tonerei Liner rubber-tyred automated guideway transit line, which runs 9·7 km from Nippori to Minumadai-Shinsuikoen.
California awards grants to drive modal shift
USA: The California State Transportation Agency has awarded $500m in capital grants for 17 ‘transformative’ rail and public transport projects under its Transit & Intercity Rail Capital Program.
Frankfurt Airport peoplemover operations and upgrading contract signed
GERMANY: Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport has awarded Bombardier Transportation a €103m contract to continue operating and maintaining the SkyLine peoplemover for a further 10-years, and to modernise the signalling system with the deployment of its Cityflo 650 communications-based train control.
Cairo Monorail site characterisation contract awarded
EGYPT: Arab Contractors has awarded Fugro a contract to undertake geophysical and geotechnical investigations for the second phase of the Cairo Monorail project.
Mexico City expands urban cable car network
MEXICO: Italian manufacturer Leitner ropeways announced on March 2 that a further two Cablebús 2 urban cable car lines are expected to open in Mexico City by mid-2021.
Salvador monorail construction starts
BRAZIL: The Skyrail Bahia consortium led by Chinese conglomerate BYD and Metrogreen began construction of the 19·2 km Orange monorail line in Salvador, on February 12.
Metro de Panamá awards Line 3 contract
PANAMA: Metro de Panamá awarded the HPH joint venture of South Korean companies a US$2·5bn,54-month contract for the construction of Line 3 on February 4.
Beijing Capital International Airport peoplemover to be upgraded
CHINA: A consortium of CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems and Bombardier NUG Signalling Solutions Co has been awarded a 215m yuan contract to upgrade the automated peoplemover at Beijing Capital International Airport.