Regiotram de Occidente groundbreaking ‘is symbol of a country moving on rails again’
COLOMBIA: The government has transferred the Bogotá – Facatativá railway right of way to the Cundinamarca province, enabling track renewals for the Regiotram de Occidente project.
TfGM seeks supplier feedback on light rail asset renewal plan
UK: Transport for Greater Manchester has begun the procurement process for a multi-year light rail asset renewals contract worth up to £1·6bn.
Arapiraca suburban rail project breaks ground
BRAZIL: A groundbreaking ceremony has been held for a 13 km suburban rail line in Arapiraca, the second-largest city in the fast-growing state of Alagoas.
‘Unique challenge’ in Singapore metro airport extension contract
SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority has awarded an Alstom-led consortium a contract to supply CBTC signalling, communication systems and platform screen doors for the Thomson-East Coast Line extension project.
Bergen tramway orders customised rail grinding and winter service vehicle
NORWAY: Windhoff is to supply a specially-designed VentuS-LR SF50 rail grinding and winter service vehicle for the Bergen tram network.
São Paulo suburban lines to be equipped with ETCS
BRAZIL: Operating concessionaire ViaMobilidade has awarded Alstom a contract to deploy ETCS Level 2 on São Paulo lines 8 (Diamante) and 9 (Esmeralda). The R$1bn signalling modernisation project is to be completed within six years.
Electric transport operators agree to help balance power grid use
NETHERLANDS: Public transport operators have signed an agreement to help balance demand on the heavily-loaded national power grid.
High speed rail grinding on the Stockholm metro
SWEDEN: Stockholm metro maintenance contractor Strukton Rail has awarded Vossloh a subcontract to use a High Speed Grinding machine to remove corrugations, slip waves and other signs of rail wear.
Pilot project looks at low-altitude drones for railway inspection
CHINA: The use of low-altitude drones to enhance the efficiency of railway maintenance is to be explored by Traffic Control Technology and MTR Corp.
Israel: NofIt project learns from Karlsruhe
Work is under way on the NofIt interurban light rail line linking Haifa and Nazareth, which will run through complex terrain with gradients of up to 8%. Dan Shenbach, CEO of project promoter TransIsrael, discusses the state of progress with Benjámin Zelki.
Mexico: Guided buses challenge urban rail projects
While Mexico is enjoying a renaissance in rail investment at a national level, urban rail projects in several cities are coming under threat from cheaper bus options and Chinese-backed ART technology. Michael Dreyer reports.
Brazil: Urban rail projects battle local politics
Examples in Cuiabá and Canoas show how vulnerable Brazilian urban rail projects are to changes in local politics, as well as the temptation of alternative modes which are seen as less complex, even if the benefits are lower. Marcelo Benoit examines the two cases.