Paragon ID acquires UrbanThings
UK: Ticketing, payment and identification company Paragon ID has acquired UrbanThings, which develops passenger information, vehicle tracking, digital ticketing and analytical systems.
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.
Bozankaya tram enters service in Timișoara
ROMANIA: The first of 21 trams being supplied by Turkish company Bozankaya has entered service on Route 1 in Timișoara, the first tram supplied new to the city in 50 years.
Double-deck trains considered for Moscow Central Ring
RUSSIA: The use of double-deck trains on the 54 km Moscow Central Ring line is being studied, as ridership has reached 550 000 passengers/day and the infrastructure is now at maximum capacity.
Gragnano light rail plan agreed
ITALY: Local municipalities have agreed to develop a 4 km light rail line to connect Gragnano with the terminus of Trenitalia’s Napoli suburban service at Castellammare di Stabia, east of Sorrento.
Montpellier orders 60 trams
FRANCE: Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole has selected CAF to supply 60 trams to its local transport operator TaM, with options for 17 more bringing the total value of the order to €223·7m.
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.
Smart turnouts to be installed on Moscow tram network
RUSSIA: The roll-out of an automatic route-setting system on the Moscow tram network has begun with the first test deployment near the Kursk railway station.
Cardiff Northwest Corridor tram-train report published
UK: Proposals have been published for the development of a tram-train network to serve housing developments on the Northwest Corridor between Cardiff and Llantrisant.
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.
Celebrations as Odense tramway opens
DENMARK: Music, entertainment and free chocolate-coated strawberries featured in the celebrations marking the opening of the Odense tramway on May 28.
Cross-border tram-train project scrapped
EUROPE: After many years of discussion and planning, the government of the Belgian region of Vlaanderen has decided not to go ahead with plans to for a tram-train service running from Hasselt across the Dutch border to Maastricht.
London Underground lets power supply upgrading contract
UK: Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £50m contract to undertake traction power supply upgrading works on London Underground’s Piccadilly Line to support the introduction of new Siemens Mobility trainsets from 2025.
Tampere orders more trams
FINLAND: Škoda Group has been awarded a contract to supply a further five ForCity Smart Artic X34 trams to Tampere.