Metro to the Taj Mahal opens
INDIA: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first section of the Agra metro by teleconference on March 6, with passenger services starting at 06.00 the following day.
Istanbul’s Sirkeci – Kazlıçeşme ‘light rail’ line opens
TURKEY: A ‘light rail’ line on the alignment of the former railway to the historic Sirkeci station on the European side of Istanbul was opened by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan February 26.
Izmir metro extension opens
TURKEY: Passenger-carrying pre-operation started on the 6·5 km western extension of Izmir metro Line 1 from Fahrettin Altay to Sehitlik on February 24 with a ceremony attended by Izmir Mayor Tunç Soyer.
İzmir opens third tram line
TURKEY: A 12 km long tram extension opened in İzmir’s Çiğli district on January 27 with a ceremony attended by Mayor Tunç Soyer.
Toronto passenger train Operations & Maintenance contract finalised
CANADA: Transport agency Metrolinx has finalised the Operations & Maintenance contract for GO Transit passenger rail services in the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area.
Extension takes Phoenix light rail over the freeway
USA: ‘We have made the leap over one of our busiest and most vital freeways with a bridge that opens the door to the West Valley’, said CEO of Phoenix’s Valley Metro Jessica Mefford-Miller when celebrations marked the opening of the Northwest Phase II light rail extension on January 27.
Second busiest Paris metro line goes fully automatic
FRANCE: Paris metro Line 4 has been fully converted to Grade of Automation 4 unattended operation
Connecting Stockholm wins metro operating contract
SWEDEN: Local authority Region Stockholm has selected the Connecting Stockholm joint venture of The Go-Ahead Group (55%) and ComfortDelGro (45%) to operate and maintain the Tunnelbana metro network.
Olsztyn tramway extension opens
POLAND: Revenue services have started on a 6 km tramway extension in Olsztyn, taking the city’s network to 17 km.
Manchester Metrolink operating contract extended
UK: The contract for KeolisAmey Metrolink Ltd to operate and maintain Greater Manchester’s Metrolink light rail network has been extended until July 2027.
Peru’s first underground metro line opens
PERU: The first section of Lima metro Line 2 has been opened by President Dina Boluarte and Minister of Transport & Communications Raúl Pérez Reyes.
Santiago metro extension enhances local amenities
CHILE: President Gabriel Boric has inaugurated a 5·2 km extension of Santiago metro Line 2. The four-station section at the south end of the route takes Line 2 from La Cisterna to Hospital El Pino, and it has been built at a cost of US$409·2m.
Tram-train T12 opens to the south of Paris
FRANCE: Ile-de-France tram-train line T12 opened on December 9, on a 20 km orbital route between Massy-Palaiseau RER station and Évry-Courcouronnes RER station to the south of Paris.
Light metro extended across Macau bridge
CHINA: The 3·2 km Barra Extension of the Macau Light Rapid Transit automated metro has opened, using a guideway installed in a dedicated lane on the 2·2 km Sai Van cable-stayed bridge to connect the 9·3 km Taipa Line to the Macau Peninsula.
Bangkok Pink Line monorail opens
THAILAND: Passenger carrying test operations have begun on the 34·5 km Pink Line straddle monorail in Bangkok.
High altitude underground metro fully opens
ECUADOR: Full revenue services on the Quito metro finally began on December 1, with local residents cutting ribbons to officially open each of the 15 stations.
Parand metro extension inaugurated
IRAN: President Ebrahim Raisi inaugurated the Shahr-e Parand extension of a branch of Tehran metro Line 1 on November 30.
First metro line in Navi Mumbai opens
INDIA: Passenger services on the 11·1 km, fully elevated metro Line 1 in Navi Mumbai began on November 17.
‘Large and complex’ urban rail schemes at heart of RATP Dev strategic plan
INTERNATIONAL: Contract operating specialist RATP Dev has unveiled a revamped business strategy.