Titagarh Firema metro cars arrive in Catania
ITALY: The first two-car metro trainset to be manufactured by Titagarh Firema for the Catania metro has been delivered to the Sicilian city, ready for the start of test running in the coming weeks.
Beograd metro preliminary works begin as rail plan approved
SERBIA: The Beograd city assembly has approved a general plan for development of the proposed metro as well as expansion of the suburban rail and tram networks, and preliminary site clearance works for the future metro depot have begun.
Grand Paris Express fare collection contract
FRANCE: Société du Grand Paris has selected Thales and IER’s Easier business to supply revenue collection systems for Grand Paris Express automated metro lines 15, 16, 17 and 18.
West Midlands Metro governance inquiry launched
UK: An independent review into the governance of the West Midlands Metro light rail network is to be carried out in the wake of the withdrawal of the CAF tram fleet which operates services between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
Sofia orders 25 trams after delayed process
BULGARIA: Sofia operator Elektrotransport has ordered 25 Swing trams from Pesa Bydgoszcz, the Polish manufacturer’s fourth order from the city.
Juventus tram link approved
ITALY: Torino municipality has given the final go-ahead for tram Line 12, which will link Juventus’ Allianz football stadium in the northwest of the city with Corso Lepanto in the south.
BLT signs contract for 25 TINA trams
SWITZERLAND: Baselland tram operator BLT has formally awarded Stadler a SFr125m contract to supply 25 TINA trams.
West Midlands Metro services suspended over tram cracks
UK: West Midlands Metro announced on November 12 that services would be suspended for at least four weeks from the following day because of cracking on its CAF Urbos 3 trams.
Custom tool developed for London Underground train maintenance
UK: Norbar Torque Tools’ specialist engineering department has developed a unique tool to meet London Underground’s requirements for removing and refitting the inter-car coupler mounting bolts on the Victoria Line fleet.
Tram bogie on test
POLAND: Stadler has begun dynamic test of its TINA tram bogie, which is designed to improve ride quality while reducing noise and wear of the moving parts.
London Underground consults on accessibility priorities
UK: Transport for London has begun a public consultation to help it prioritise works to make London Underground stations more accessible. It is seeking feedback on whether to focus on upgrading a single, complex central London station, or divide the available resources between small and medium-sized stations outside the centre.
Ostrava tram on test
CZECH REPUBLIC: City transport operator DP Ostrava has begun dynamic testing of the first of 35 Škoda Transportation ForCity Smart 39T trams which are being supplied under a KC1·7bn contract. Formal handover is scheduled for early next year.
Krasnoyarsk tram deliveries underway
RUSSIA: PK TS’s Neva Electric Transport Works in St Petersburg has begun delivering 19 Type 71-911EM Lionet four-axle single-section low-floor trams ordered by the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.
Young people urged to consider careers in light rail
UK: An engineering ‘skills gap’ across many sectors including light rail means there are opportunities for young people to play a major role in meeting future transport and environmental challenges, says UKTram. The industry body is developing a light rail career ‘roadmap’, and planning a series of career roadshows in ...
Plzeň confirms ForCity tram order
CZECH REPUBLIC: Plzeň municipal transport operator PMDP has awarded Škoda Transportation a firm contract to supply a further 10 ForCity Smart X34 trams, designated Type 40T by the manufacturer.
RATP awarded Paris tramway T10 contract
FRANCE: RATP Dev has been awarded an eight-year contract to operate the future tram Route T10 and eight nearby bus services in the southwestern suburbs of Paris. This is the second package of services to be competitively tendered by transport regional authority Île-de-France Mobilités.
Praha tramway extension contract awarded
CZECH REPUBLIC Praha transport agency DPP has awarded the TT Modřany consortium of Ohla ŽS and Strabag Rail a contract to build a tramway extension in the south of the city for opening in spring 2023.
Grand Paris Express Line 18 track contract awarded
FRANCE: Société du Grand Paris has awarded Alstom a €133m contract to supply and commission 46 km of track, third rail power supplies and associated equipment for the CEA/Saint-Aubin – Orly airport eastern section of the future driverless metro Line 18.
Sofia metro cars refurbished
BULGARIA: TMH’s Metrowagonmash subsidiary has returned 12 Type 81-717.4/714.4 metro cars to Sofia Metro following their refurbishment.
Tyne & Wear Metro deploys monitoring drone
UK: Transport authority Nexus has begun using a Matrice 300 RTK drone to monitor the 77 km Tyne & Wear Metro network.